As software-defined vehicles advance in complexity, achieving robust functional safety in line with ISO 26262 becomes increasingly vital. This growing need has led to a significant increase in Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment (HARA) activities across numerous electrical and electronic (E/E) systems and features. Traditionally, HARA is performed separately for each E/E system, feature, or component. This approach often results in redundant analyses of the same function in multiple places, which leads to inconsistent risk categorizations and even conflicting safety goals, such as assigning different Automotive Safety Integrity Levels (ASIL) to similar features. As a result, the overall engineering effort and risk of inconsistency increase.
To address these challenges, this paper proposes a unique approach: performing consolidated HARA for a group of vehicle-level functions (termed “platform HARA”). Rather than deriving safety goals for each E/E system or feature individually, this method derives safety goals for the underlying vehicle-level function. Later, by performing function-feature mapping, the safety goals are identified for the respective system or feature. For instance, if a vehicle manufacturer employs several types of steering systems (Electrical, Hydraulic, Electro-Hydraulic), only one platform HARA for all steering systems is sufficient. Should new features be introduced that rely on these existing vehicle-level functions, the platform HARA can be referenced without generating a new HARA, requiring only the mapping of the feature to the relevant function.
This approach reduces HARA documentation from potentially over 100 to fewer than 10, streamlines the process, minimizes redundancy, and helps harmonize Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment across all vehicle E/E systems and features. Ultimately, it ensures efficiency, consistency, and scalability as vehicle features continue to evolve.