[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/blog\/how-much-horsepower-does-santas-sleigh-have\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/blog\/how-much-horsepower-does-santas-sleigh-have\/","headline":"How Much Horsepower Does Santa’s Sleigh Have?","name":"How Much Horsepower Does Santa’s Sleigh Have?","description":"Theoretically, is Santa\u2019s sleigh a powerhouse or an underpowered bore? It\u2019s the question that all the big kids are asking. How much horsepower is that sleigh making? It’s getting awfully close to that time of year where Father Christmas himself visits each home to drop off the kids\u2019 presents and the fact that he can travel the world in one night and make such a heavy sleigh, burdened with millions of gifts, take flight is rather impressive indeed. We motor […]","datePublished":"2020-12-23","dateModified":"2021-01-06","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/#Person","name":"Isabelle Lawrence","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/","identifier":30,"description":"Max Wheeler is a leading motoring journalist and classic car specialist at Smart Motoring, renowned for his sharp insight and infectious passion for all things automotive. With years of experience covering motoring news, supercars, and the enduring legacy of classic cars, Max brings stories to life with style and authority. Whether it\u2019s the roar of a Lamborghini, the elegance of an Aston Martin DB5, or the cultural impact of vintage motoring icons, he delivers expert commentary that inspires enthusiasts and collectors alike. Dedicated to celebrating the heritage and future of driving, Max Wheeler is your trusted voice for classic car news and beyond.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Smart Motoring","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/How-Much-Horsepower-Does-Santas-Sleigh-Have-feature.jpg","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/How-Much-Horsepower-Does-Santas-Sleigh-Have-feature.jpg","height":520,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/blog\/how-much-horsepower-does-santas-sleigh-have\/","about":["BLOG","LATEST CAR NEWS"],"wordCount":531,"keywords":["christmas","Santa","Santas Sleigh"],"articleBody":"Theoretically, is Santa\u2019s sleigh a powerhouse or an underpowered bore?It\u2019s the question that all the big kids are asking. How much horsepower is that sleigh making?It’s getting awfully close to that time of year where Father Christmas himself visits each home to drop off the kids\u2019 presents and the fact that he can travel the world in one night and make such a heavy sleigh, burdened with millions of gifts, take flight is rather impressive indeed.We motor enthusiasts enjoy Santa\u2019s generosity as much as the next person but his real legacy is his overpowered sleigh that seems to produce enough horsepower to travel at 650 mps (that\u2019s miles per second for those unfamiliar with magical sleigh transportation). We\u2019d never want to drag race him, that\u2019s for sure.Now, the thing about Santa is he\u2019s a pretty secretive guy. Here at Motor-Vision, we don\u2019t have any inside sources in the North Pole or know anyone that works for the guy. So, this means that we\u2019ll have to do some calculations of our own and guess roughly how much horsepower this guy is making in his antique magical sleigh.Now, if we are to simplify it as much as possible, a horse makes around 15 hp and reindeer are much smaller than horses, only coming up to around waist high. In a tug of war, one horse could probably outmatch two reindeer so let\u2019s say that reindeer produce around 7 hp. This would mean that Santa\u2019s sleigh produces around 56 horsepower, which is 14 horsepower less than a two-seat Smart car.Although Santa\u2019s sleigh is powered by eight reindeer, these are in fact magical reindeer and so cannot be assumed to have the same power as an ordinary reindeer. Also, we have to consider just how heavy the sleigh is, as it will be carrying enough toys for all of the children in the world.Once you assume that the sleigh weighs more than the total weight of enough toys for the 660 million children that celebrate Christmas and needs enough lift force for it to take off then that means a lot of power has to be involved.Drivetribe actually did all of the physics calculations needed to know how much horsepower Santa\u2019s sleigh must produce if we assume the aforementioned is true. The mass of toys would be at least 23 million kg, and that\u2019s only assuming each child receives a small toy car. They then assumed the sleigh had wings and was extremely aerodynamic and came to the conclusion that even with these generous assumptions, it would have to travel 13,000 mph just to take off.The conclusion was that for this to be possible, the magical sleigh that delivers presents to the world would need to produce around 6.37 trillion brake horsepower. And it will still be more eco-friendly than a Tesla thanks to it running on carrots!How much horsepower do you think Santa\u2019s sleigh has? Let us know in the comments.If you enjoyed this, you may also like: \u2018BMW M2 CS Awarded Car of The Year 2020\u2019Image Credit: Main photo created by kjpargeter – www.freepik.com"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How Much Horsepower Does Santa’s Sleigh Have?","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/blog\/how-much-horsepower-does-santas-sleigh-have\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]