Horsepower vs Torque & Gasoline vs Electric Cars

Welcome to this technical video covering horsepower, torque, internal combustion engines (ICE) and electric car engines!

Because electric cars produce peak torque at zero RPM, you might be surprised by the acceleration they’re capable of, especially at lower vehicle speeds. On the other hand, internal combustion engines need to be spinning up at a much higher speed than electric motors before they produce peak torque, especially engines such as the F20C in the Honda S2000 featured in this video.

The cars chosen for the comparison are quite different. The Nissan Leaf has high torque, 236 lb-ft, but relatively low power at 147 HP. The Honda S2000 on the other hand has decent power, 265 whp, but low torque at just 163 lb-ft. The engine is designed to make peak power and peak torque at very high RPM, above 8,000, versus zero RPM like the Leaf. The S2000 is much lighter, however. Which vehicle will accelerate faster? I’ve created a simple 0-80 mph test to show how the torque delivery of each vehicle differs. Is torque or horsepower more important? Watch and find out!

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