System safety in hybrid and electric vehicles

Ward, D.D.

Road vehicles have an increasing reliance on electronic systems to control their functionality and to deliver the feature and attribute demands made by manufacturers, legislators and consumers. This trend is particularly evident in the new generation of more energy-efficient vehicles that includes hybrid vehicles and full electric vehicles. The architectures of these vehicles are characterized by a greater degree of integration and interaction between the systems, as well as the introduction of new types of system with unique potential failure modes. As a result, system safety is a central part of the design and implementation process for these vehicles. In this respect a new standard, ISO 26262 �Road vehicles � Functional safety� is in preparation. It sets out requirements for managing functional safety, hazard analysis and risk assessment, and the development and verification of systems, hardware and software. Nevertheless, in hybrid and electric vehicles functional safety is only one part of the overall process of system safety, which encompasses other domains such as electrical safety and crashworthiness. This paper will give a brief introduction to the concepts and challenges of system safety when applied to such vehicles, including a discussion of the role of ISO 26262 and some of the key principles of that standard, including the concepts of automotive safety integrity level (ASIL), safety goals and safety concepts. The implications of the standard on emerging vehicle technology will also be examined. Finally, the need for an holistic approach to system safety in such vehicles will be presented.

Cite as: Ward, D.D. (2011). System safety in hybrid and electric vehicles. In Proc. Australian System Safety Conference 2011 (ASSC 2011) Melbourne, Australia. CRPIT, 133. Cant, T. Eds., ACS. 79-84

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