The History of the Automatic Transmission: The Contribution of Brazilian Engineers José Brazo Araripe and Fernando Lemos

The Flex technology, developed in Brazil, allows most current vehicles to use gasoline, ethanol, or a combination of both. This system was commercially launched in the country in 2003.

Initially, the creation of this technology served as a response to consumer distrust regarding alcohol, motivated by supply crises and price fluctuations of the product during the 1990s.

By offering the driver the freedom to choose the most economical fuel at the pump, the system quickly gained popular acceptance. More than two decades after its launch, the Flex engine is seen by the automotive industry as an option to reduce pollutant emissions, alongside electric cars.

Previously, the choice was restricted: the driver had to acquire a car designed exclusively for gasoline or another for hydrated ethanol. Due to the loss of credibility in alcohol-powered vehicles in the 90s, some drivers began mixing fuels themselves in the tank, a practice known as 'rabo de galo' mixture, which frequently resulted in mechanical problems in workshops.

It was in this scenario of difficulties that engineering identified an opportunity: to develop an engine capable of operating with any proportion of alcohol and gasoline without suffering damage.

Professor Renato Romio, responsible for the engines and vehicles department at the Mauá Institute of Technology, mentioned that there was a previous program, Proálcool, which was declining. He stated that the emergence of Flex cars allowed this program to be rescued, ensuring the maintenance of ethanol at gas stations.

Although the idea of a dual-fuel car already existed in the United States, where they used a sophisticated and costly tank sensor to monitor the mixture, Brazilian engineers opted for a more accessible approach. They dispensed with the tank sensor and used the lambda probe, a part already present in vehicles and significantly cheaper.

Positioned in the exhaust system, the lambda probe acts as an electronic detector. Instead of analyzing the tank contents, it examines the smoke generated by the combustion of the fuel exiting the exhaust. An embedded software, such as systems developed by Magneti Marelli or Bosch, interprets this data in real time. By detecting the composition of the ethanol and gasoline burn, the system makes automatic adjustments to the engine's operation.

With the technical solution established, manufacturers began a competition to introduce the innovation to the market. Volkswagen led the launch, presenting the Gol 1.6 Total Flex in March 2003. Subsequently, Fiat and Chevrolet followed with the Palio 1.3 and the Corsa 1.8, respectively, using the same technology, marking the beginning of the Flex car era in Brazil.

A crucial advantage of the Flex vehicle is the possibility of keeping pure ethanol available at gas stations. According to engineer Renato Romio, the Brazilian differential lies not only in the Flex technology but also in the availability of hydrated ethanol at stations, something other countries do not have.

The implementation of the Flex engine required engineers to solve practical issues to increase the longevity and ease of use of the cars. The first obstacle was material resistance, as ethanol causes corrosion in common metals. Therefore, manufacturers began to use more robust components in the construction of the engines.

Another problem was the cold start system, necessary because ethanol requires more heat to burn than gasoline. Flex cars came equipped with a small gasoline reservoir under the hood to inject some of this fuel on cold days, aiding ignition. With engineering advancements, systems were created that heat the fuel before combustion or inject it under high pressure directly into the engine, eliminating the need for this aid.

Currently, Flex technology is integrated into the energy transition movement alongside electric vehicles, starting with Flex hybrid cars, which combine an electric motor and an internal combustion engine. In these models, the battery assists during periods of lower energy demand, while the ethanol engine takes over when higher power or autonomy is needed, resulting in efficient and low-pollution vehicles.

The next stage involves converting ethanol into electricity. Brazilian researchers developed the microreformer, a component that extracts ethanol from the tank and converts it into hydrogen gas inside the vehicle itself. This hydrogen then undergoes a chemical reaction that generates electrical energy to charge the battery and move the automobile, allowing the driver to refuel with ethanol and drive an electric vehicle.

The professor at Mauá Institute considers the battery electric vehicle to be the future, but recognizes the importance of ethanol as a viable source for prolonged use until battery vehicles achieve large-scale application.

A major data leak exposed millions of documents and raises concerns about potential impacts on Brazil. Often, when using platforms or services that require identity verification, the submitted data, such as scanned documents or selfies, is forwarded to third-party companies responsible for authentication.

The company IDScan, one of these service providers, was allegedly the victim of a major data breach, as reported by cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs in an article published on his website on Tuesday, the 1st. The vast collection of this company's documents was reportedly exposed.

Although the leaked documents are known to belong to countries such as the United States and Canada, IDScan also provides authentication services for Brazilian documents and lists support for these types of documents.

The origin of the leak was identified on a dark web site called Nexus, which began disclosing access to a massive database. The criminals claimed to possess photos of over 153 million driver's licenses issued in the United States and Canada, in addition to about ten million identity documents, three million passports and travel documents, health cards, and access badges for government buildings.

To validate the authenticity of the material, the site presented samples, including documents belonging to Krebs and American authorities, such as US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and an assistant director of the FBI.

The connection between the leak and IDScan was established during the analysis of the exposed images. Each photo contained a date and time record. By comparing this data with his personal history, Krebs noted that the times coincided with moments when he had presented documents at locations equipped with IDScan readers.

The leak included versions of documents both front and back, as well as captures made under infrared and ultraviolet light, spectra used by validation equipment to check security elements invisible to the naked eye. Furthermore, the data extraction appeared to occur in real-time, with approximately 400,000 records entering the Nexus database in just 24 hours, while the criminals claimed to have collected data from the company over the course of a year.

After the publication of the report and confirmation that the FBI office in New Orleans initiated an investigation into IDScan, the Nexus site was taken offline.

Implications of the leak for security

Natalian Silva, spokesperson for IAM Brasil and cybersecurity expert, classified the incident as serious, given that technologies like those offered by IDScan are employed in processes considered critical. According to the expert, the leak goes beyond the simple exposure of documents, as it can generate inputs for fraud in financial, digital, and in-person services.

Silva detailed that previously captured and validated documents are particularly valuable to criminals, as they can be used in attempts to open accounts, apply for credit, improperly recover access, modify registration data, conduct social engineering, and create synthetic identities.

The expert made two important observations. Firstly, she stressed that such a leak does not imply that all processes using the documents are automatically compromised. She argued that robust validation must go beyond the mere presentation of the document image, needing to integrate signals such as proof of life, biometric comparison, device reputation, transaction context, behavior, and risk analysis. However, the incident considerably diminishes confidence in the document as isolated proof.

The spokesperson for IAM Brasil also pointed out an aggravating factor: although a password can be changed after a leak, personal characteristics such as face, date of birth, signature, and history cannot simply be replaced, which can lead to consequences for victims for many years.

Natalian Silva's second caveat was that the platform supporting Brazilian documents does not prove that Brazilian citizens' documents were actually leaked; this needs to be confirmed by the investigation. The technical processing capability indicates potential exposure but does not confirm the inclusion of Brazilian data in the incident.

Natalian Silva advised that companies using IDScan technology take immediate measures to verify which integrations and data are active with the partner platform, in addition to changing digital access keys (APIs), credentials, and passwords. She also recommended demanding clarification from the provider regarding the scope of the leak and, in the absence of security guarantees, temporarily suspending the submission of new information.

The expert concluded that this case reinforces the principle that outsourcing identity verification does not mean transferring responsibility. The contracting organization remains responsible for understanding the data flow, limiting its retention, assessing international transfer, monitoring security controls, and maintaining contingency plans for when a critical point in the chain of trust fails.