Practical guide to calculate the power of your car, what are the horses and differences between fiscal horses and CV
Let’s see how to know the horsepower of a car , thus answering one of the most frequent questions among drivers and motor enthusiasts. And it is that the horsepower of a vehicle determines the force that the engine exerts on the tires, thus giving us much more information and determining aspects such as speed, acceleration or consumption of a particular car. Many with potential buyers who want to know first-hand the real data of a certain model , as well as regular drivers who want to find out everything about the power of their vehicle . Next, do not miss how to know the horses of a car .
How can I know the horsepower of my car?
Index of contents
- What are the horses of a carriage
- Differences between fiscal horsepower and horsepower (CV) of a car
- Differences between horsepower (CV), horsepower (HP) and kW of a car
- How to calculate the CV of my car from kW or HP
- Where to find the horsepower (CV) of my car
What are the horses of a carriage
The horsepower of a car refers directly to the power of a car through the so-called horsepower (CV), which determine the real power of a vehicle declared by its manufacturer. Horsepower or CV are a unit of measurement that determines the power needed to lift 75 kilos to a height of one meter in one second; the term comes directly from the nineteenth century when the strength of steam engines was measured.
Differences between fiscal horsepower and horsepower (CV) of a car
As we have explained in the previous section, the horsepower (CV) of a car determines the physical units of measurement that are necessary to quantify its power. On the other hand, the so-called fiscal horses determine the fiscal power of the car and that will indicate the amount of money that you will have to pay to have a car of one power or another depending on the fiscal horsepower that they have through the Tax on Mechanical Traction Vehicles. from Spain. Tax horses do not measure power per se, but rather classify the cost of the tax to be paid for that particular vehicle.
Thus, the fiscal power or fiscal horsepower of a vehicle represents the result obtained from the engine displacement through aspects such as the number and diameter of the cylinders and the piston stroke, all of which are highly technical data. In short, how much more engine displacement, more fiscal horsepower.
Therefore, it is not necessary to know the fiscal horsepower of a car to determine its power in horsepower (CV) or kW, since there is no compatibility between the two measurements.
Differences between horsepower (CV) and kW of a car
On the other hand, and already going into how to find out the real power of a car, we are going to explain the main differences between the three main units of power measurement of a car, which are horsepower (CV), horsepower (HP ) and kilowatt (kW).
- Horsepower (CV): This is a measurement that was born in France in the 19th century that refers to the power required to lift 75 kgf (kilograms force, that is, 1 kgf = 1 kg) at 1 meter and in 1 second .
- Horsepower (HP): In this case it is a term of Anglo-Saxon origin that is not used in Spain that refers to the equivalence between steam engines and the horsepower power, being used to measure the power of the first machines. It measures the power needed to lift 33,000 pounds at a rate of 1 foot per minute. It is a similar measure to CVs.
- Kilowatt (kW): It is a unit that little by little is becoming the most common, since it is recommended by the International System of Units. The k corresponds to the multiple 1000 and the W to the watt (watt in Spanish). One watt measures power generation in one joule per second.
How to calculate the CV of my car from kW or HP
To calculate horsepower (CV) from horsepower (HP) or kilowatts (kW) you will only have to calculate the following mathematical equivalences:
- 1 HP = 0.746 kW
- 1 HP = 1,014 CV
- 1 CV = 0.986 HP
- 1 hp = 0.736 kW
- 1 kW = 1,359 hp
- 1 kW = 1.34 HP
Where to find the horsepower (CV) of my car
If you want to know or calculate the horsepower (CV) of your car, you will have to look at the technical data of the vehicle. Of course, in these technical documents you will probably not find CVs, since they are not usually included. But you will easily find kilowatts (kW).
To calculate the CV you will only have to multiply the KW by 1,359; the result of this multiplication will give us the horsepower (CV) of the car. Thus, if your car has 150 kW, it will have a total of 203 hp, which is the result of multiplying the kW (150) by 1.359.
Now you know everything about the different types of power in cars, as well as the mathematical operation that you will have to perform to calculate the horsepower (CV) from the kilowatts (kW) of your car.
