Kilowatt to horsepower conversion is one of the most common ones.
Here’s how you can convert kW to HP:
1 kW = 1.341 HP
The easiest way to remember the kW to HP conversion formula is to remember how many kilowatts is 1 horsepower of energy:
1 HP = 3/4 kW
We’ll convert kW to HP for 3 examples further on:
- For an average 110 kW gas car (Example 1)
- 48,000 BTU 5-zone mini-split air conditioner (Example 2)
- We’ll calculate how many HP new Tesla S model has (Example 3)
Use this handy converted to calculate how many HP is a given number of kW:
kW to HP Converter
kW to HP Table
We’ve calculated some kilowatt to horsepower conversion, and gathered them in the table here:
| Kilowatts (kW) | Horsepower (HP) |
|---|---|
| 1 kW to HP: | 1.34 HP |
| 2 kW to HP: | 2.68 HP |
| 3 kW to HP: | 4.02 HP |
| 4 kW to HP: | 5.36 HP |
| 5 kW to HP: | 6.71 HP |
| 7.5 kW to HP: | 10.06 HP |
| 10 kW to HP: | 13.41 HP |
| 20 kW to HP: | 26.82 HP |
| 30 kW to HP: | 40.23 HP |
| 40 kW to HP: | 53.64 HP |
| 50 kW to HP: | 67.05 HP |
| 55 kW to HP: | 73.76 HP |
| 75 kW to HP: | 100.58 HP |
| 77 kW to HP: | 103.26 HP |
| 85 kW to HP: | 113.99 HP |
| 100 kW to HP: | 134.10 HP |
| 110 kW to HP: | 147.51 HP |
| 125 kW to HP: | 167.63 HP |
| 130 kW to HP: | 174.33 HP |
| 132 kW to HP: | 177.01 HP |
| 140 kW to HP: | 187.74 HP |
| 147 kW to HP: | 197.13 HP |
| 150 kW to HP: | 201.15 HP |
| 160 kW to HP: | 214.56 HP |
| 170 kW to HP: | 227.97 HP |
| 180 kW to HP: | 241.38 HP |
| 200 kW to HP: | 268.20 HP |
| 220 kW to HP: | 295.02 HP |
| 240 kW to HP: | 321.85 HP |
| 250 kW to HP: | 335.26 HP |
| 300 kW to HP: | 402.31 HP |
| 350 kW to HP: | 469.36 HP |
| 400 kW to HP: | 536.41 HP |
| 450 kW to HP: | 603.46 HP |
| 500 kW to HP: | 670.51 HP |
Example 1: Average 110 kW Gas Car
Let’s take a normal 110 kW car as an example. It is powered by 110 kW. How many HP is that? Let’s calculate:
Here’s how to convert 110 kW to HP:
Number of HP = 110 kW * 1.341 = 147.51 HP
The average 110 kW car has about 150 horsepower.
Example 2: 48,000 BTU 5-Zone Mini-Split Air Conditioner
Mini-split air conditioners pack quite a lot of power. A 48,000 BTU 5-zone air conditioner by Mitsubishi or Carrier can easily generate 24 kW of power.
Let’s calculate how many HP is 24 kW for an air conditioner:
As we can see, an air conditioner can have 30+ HP. Here’s how you can convert kW to HP by hand:
Number of HP = 24 kW * 1.341 = 32.18 HP
You can use this kW to HP equation for smaller (12,000 BTU, 24,000 BTU, 36,000 BTU) and bigger (60,000 BTU) air conditioners.
Example 3: How Many HP Does A Tesla S Model Have?
In gas-powered cars, we always talk about horsepower. For electric cars, we usually use kilowatts.
Tesla S, for example, can produce 270 kW. How many HP is that:
270 kW Tesla S can produce more than 360 HP.
If you have any questions regarding the kW to HP calculations, you can pose them in the comments below.