Horsepower is a unit of engine power. How to convert km to kW? Read!

What is horsepower? How is engine power calculated?

In order to find the answer to the question of what horsepower is, you will have to go back in history to the XNUMXth century. It all started with the fact that animals were replaced in the mines. The invention of a steam engine capable of doing similar work was due to the determination of its power. The English inventor and engineer Thomas Savery came up with a very simple and at the same time incredibly visual idea. He stated that the power of the unit can be compared to the number of horses doing work with the same efficiency at the same time. Hence, the internal combustion engine, which performed 24-hour work, for which horses were involved, had to have a power of 10-12 horsepower.

However, this was not the most accurate way to measure. In fact, it had little to do with real power. In 1782, James Watt came to the aid of science and motorization. He used a new method of calculating horsepower using official units. He observed that a horse on an arena (treadmill) travels a distance of 55 meters in one minute. He set the value of weight at 82 kilograms, which allowed him to calculate the work done by the animal. As a result, he determined that 1 horsepower equals 33 ft x lbf/min. This is how 000 watt was created.

Power Units - Converting kW to km

At a later stage in the development of drive unit technology, difficulties arose with the rationing of engine power values. This was due to the different concepts used in the country. For example, in the Anglo-Saxon countries the nomenclature was adopted Horse powerwhich is still in effect today. Horsepower, on the other hand, originated in Germany and is closely associated with the name To Pferdester (PS, strong horse). A slightly different meaning - hp. (Braking power), which is the power measured on the dynamometer, taking into account the resistance of the transmission system. It is currently accepted that 1 hp. corresponds to 0,74 kW.

How to calculate horsepower?

Looking through the registration certificate, you will find in it only the value of kW, due to its official presence in the international system of units and measures (SI). If you want to know how much horsepower your car has, you should take the value 1 kW = 1,36 hp. For example, a 59 kW engine produces 80 hp. In the case of a steam horse (hp), the value is slightly different, since 1 kW = 1,34 hp. Therefore, the same vehicles sold in different markets may have slightly different unit power designations. The surprising fact is that power is not paramount for the operation of an internal combustion engine. It's just a derivative of the torque, which is definitely more important for the efficient movement of the car.