Power converter
Convert between watts, kilowatts, megawatts, horsepower, metric PS and BTU per hour, then see what that power looks like in kettles, cyclists and cars.
That's 45× as much power as a kettle, while a family car is 1.1× more. That is about 45.45 electric kettles running at once.
What it means
What could that run?
Appliance figures are typical. Car output is quoted at the engine, before losses through the gearbox.
Every unit
Your power in every unit
Learn
Three things worth knowing
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Horsepower to kilowatts: take off a quarter
1 hp is about 0.75 kW. A 150 hp car is roughly 110 kW; a 100 kW motor is about 134 hp.
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Watt invented horsepower to sell engines
James Watt measured how much a brewery horse could lift in a minute, then rated his steam engines against it so customers could see what they were replacing.
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hp, PS and bhp are different
Car adverts mix mechanical hp (745.7 W), metric PS (735.5 W) and brake hp. The same engine can be "134 hp" or "136 PS" with no change under the bonnet.
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Background
About power units
Power is how fast energy is used. The SI unit is the watt, one joule per second. Households talk in kilowatts, car makers in horsepower or metric PS, and air conditioning in BTU per hour.
Mechanical horsepower is 745.7 W and metric PS is 735.5 W, so the same engine scores about 1.4% more in PS.