An ignition coil (also called a spark coil) is an induction coil in an automobile's ignition system which transforms the battery`s low voltage to the thousands of volts needed to create an electric spark in the spark plugs to ignite the fuel. Originally, every ignition coil system required mechanical contract breaker points, and a capacitor (condenser). More recent electronic ignition system use a power transistor to provide pulses to the ignition coil. A modern passenger automobile may use one ignition coil for each engine cylinder (or pair of cylinders), eliminating fault-prone spark plug cables and a distributor to route the high voltage pulses. Ignition systems are not required for diesel engines which rely on compression to ignite the fuel/air mixture.