The Brazilian Program for Functional Safety Labeling of Critical Subsystems in Electric Vehicles: A Framework Based on Risk and Evidence

The lack of standardized functional safety information limits the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in Brazil. This study proposes a voluntary Brazilian safety labeling program for critical EV subsystems, based on ISO 26262:2018 (Functional Safety) and ISO 21448:2022 (Safety of the Intended Functionality, SOTIF), adapted to the Brazilian regulatory context. The framework integrates (i) comparative analysis of international vehicle labeling programs; (ii) hazard analysis and risk assessment (HARA) for four critical subsystems (battery management, electric powertrain, charging system, HV cables/connectors); and (iii) a document reliability index (DRI) that weights generic relative risk (RRI_gen) by the robustness of technical documentation (Evidence Score). The DRI calculation assumes statistical independence among subsystems as a simplification, to be validated in the pilot phase. Application to a simulated dataset of 100 BEV models yielded DRI scores ranging from 1.6 to 9.3 (mean = 5.0, SD = 1.8, CV = 36.7%). Vehicles were classified into five safety classes (1–5), with approximately 85% distributed across intermediate classes 2–4, demonstrating strong discriminatory power. Results are communicated via a physical label integrated into Brazil’s National Energy Conservation Label (ENCE), with QR codes linking to detailed subsystem data. The proposal can reduce consumer risk perceptions, stimulate industrial innovation in safety documentation, support regulatory harmonization with ISO standards, and advance electric mobility adoption in emerging markets.