* This is how gasoline-powered engines work, at least! A diesel engine works in the opposite way: diesel is introduced as the piston is compressing, and the sudden increase in pressure and heat causes the fuel to ignite. Either way, it’ll probably be some time before you’re dealing with gasoline or diesel as fuels, especially if you haven’t brought your copy of How to Distill Crude Oil (Also Known as Petroleum) into Kerosene, Gasoline, Diesel, and Other Fuels: Chemicals That Can Be Catastrophic for the Environment but Will Let You Have Some Pretty Cool Race Cars, So Wow, Hopefully They’re Worth It with you. But you can always brew less-powerful ethanol to use as fuel in a pinch!