Propulsion & Electrical Systems · Safety & Regulatory Consulting

Certification for
the systems that
move everything.

Frames Consulting helps automotive, rail, naval, and aerospace organizations certify their propulsion, braking, and electrical systems — from regulatory roadmap through every work product required to meet the standard.

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What We Do

Defined scope.
Concrete output.

Every engagement produces a tangible deliverable — a document, specification, or report your team can act on and your regulators can accept.

01

Regulatory Roadmapping

A sequenced compliance plan covering which standards apply, which clauses are relevant to your specific system, what activities must happen and in what order, and when third-party assessment needs to be scheduled.

02

Gap Analysis

A clause-by-clause review of your current system architecture, processes, and documentation against the applicable standard. Findings are prioritized by severity and mapped to a remediation plan with effort estimates — a ranked action list to guide your team through development.

03

Safety Case Development

Production of the core safety artifacts required by the standard: HARA, FMEA/FMEDA, Functional Safety Concept, Safety Plan, Hazard Log, and Safety Case — structured for internal review and written to meet assessor expectations.

04

Implementation Support

Working alongside your engineering team to produce the work products, test evidence, and technical documentation required to satisfy each applicable clause. We stay through to assessor and notified body acceptance.

05

Audit Preparation

Pre-assessment review of your evidence package, mock audit findings report, remediation support, and team briefing on assessor expectations. Critical findings resolved before submission.

06

Fractional Safety Lead

For organizations that need senior functional safety expertise embedded in the program without a full-time hire. Defined days, defined scope, clear deliverables — setting up your team for success.

Who We Serve

Industries
we work
inside.

We work with organizations navigating functional safety requirements for the first time and with experienced teams that have hit a specific wall. The common thread: propulsion, braking, steering, high-voltage electrical, and safety-critical control systems where the evidence burden is real and the assessors are thorough.

Automotive

Propulsion, Braking &
Steering Systems

Component Manufacturers & Tier 1 Suppliers

E-motor developers, inverter OEMs, BMS suppliers, onboard charger makers, brake-by-wire and steer-by-wire actuator Tier 1s — qualifying components into OEM programs that require ASIL-rated safety cases and FMEDA evidence before approval.

System Integrators & OEMs

Vehicle manufacturers and propulsion system integrators managing supplier safety cases, coordinating ASIL decomposition across the drive system, and demonstrating system-level safety concept completeness to an independent safety assessor.

New Market Entrants

EV startups, ADAS developers, and tech-company entrants qualifying as OEM suppliers for the first time — teams with strong engineering culture but no prior ISO 26262 experience or shared vocabulary with the standard.

ISO 26262 · ISO/PAS 21448 (SOTIF) · IEC 61800-5-2 · IEC 61508 · ISO 13849 · MISRA C
Rail

Traction, Braking &
Propulsion Control

Rolling Stock OEMs & System Integrators

New-build and retrofit rolling stock programs requiring a full RAMS program under EN 50126, safety assurance for traction and braking control software under EN 50128, and system safety cases accepted by an Independent Safety Assessor.

Subsystem & Component Suppliers

Traction drive suppliers, braking system developers, and onboard power electronics manufacturers entering rail programs and facing EN 50129 subsystem safety case requirements for the first time.

Cross-Sector Manufacturers Entering Rail

Industrial or automotive suppliers diversifying into rail who need to adapt their existing safety management systems and documentation to the EN 50126 / 50128 / 50129 framework and ISA expectations.

EN 50126 · EN 50128 · EN 50129 · IEC 61508 · IEC 60349 · MISRA C
Naval

Marine Electric Drive &
Propulsion Systems

Naval Vessel Integrators & Shipbuilders

Shipbuilders and prime integrators certifying electric or hybrid propulsion systems, steering gear, and dynamic positioning for naval or commercial vessels — programs subject to classification society approval and flag-state regulatory requirements.

Marine Propulsion & Drive Suppliers

Manufacturers of marine electric drives, shaft generators, podded propulsors, and thruster controls qualifying systems for naval programs or classification society type approval.

Defense Subcontractors

Companies supplying propulsion, steering, or power management systems into naval defense programs requiring MIL-STD-882 hazard analysis and system safety programs aligned with NAVSEA or equivalent requirements.

IEC 61508 · MIL-STD-882 · IEC 61800-5-2 · IEC 60349 · Classification Society Requirements
Aerospace

Propulsion Control &
Electrical Power Systems

Propulsion System Developers

Developers of conventional, hybrid-electric, and full-electric propulsion systems and their controls — including FADEC, motor controllers, and power electronics — requiring ARP4761 safety assessment and DO-178C / DO-254 compliance for airborne systems.

Avionics & Electrical Power Suppliers

Suppliers of onboard electrical power systems, motor drives, and actuation electronics certifying to DO-178C for software and DO-254 for complex hardware, coordinating with DAOs and DERs through the certification lifecycle.

Cross-Sector Entrants

Automotive or industrial manufacturers entering aerospace through eVTOL, UAM, or unmanned aircraft programs — bridging ISO 26262 or IEC 61508 experience to the ARP4754A / ARP4761 / DO-178C framework for the first time.

ARP4761 · ARP4754A · DO-178C · DO-254 · IEC 61508 · MIL-STD-882
How We Work

Three phases.
One outcome.

Compliance work stalls when external support doesn't fit the program schedule. Frames embeds where the work is happening — we structure around your program gates, not the reverse. Each phase draws on the services in Section 1 as the program demands, with clear deliverables at every step and enough flexibility to start wherever you are.

Phase 01 — Scoping & Discovery

Understand the system. Define the obligation.

We learn your product architecture — propulsion, braking, steering, or electrical drive — your program context, and target standard. We map which clauses apply, identify the critical certification path, and agree on where work needs to begin.

→ 01 Regulatory Roadmapping → 02 Gap Analysis
Regulatory obligation map · Scope definition · Gap report
Phase 02 — Analysis & Planning

Know the gap. Build the plan.

Gap analysis produces a ranked action plan. We identify what documentation and evidence already exists, what can be adapted, and what needs to be produced from scratch. Effort estimates attached to every item so you can plan resourcing and program gates.

→ 03 Safety Case Development → 06 Fractional Safety Lead
Prioritized remediation plan · Effort estimates · Safety Plan
Phase 03 — Execution & Sign-off

Produce the evidence. Get it accepted.

Work products, test evidence, and safety cases are developed and iterated in coordination with the assessor or notified body. We stay through the full review cycle — submission, findings, remediation, and acceptance. The engagement ends when the evidence is accepted, not when it is submitted.

→ 04 Implementation Support → 05 Audit Preparation
Accepted safety case · Assessor sign-off · Closed findings
Why Frames

We've worked
inside the
systems we now
help certify.

Propulsion, braking, and electrical systems sit at the highest safety integrity levels in every industry we serve. The standards are demanding, the assessors are thorough, and the documentation burden is real. Frames was built on direct experience developing safety cases, running gap analyses, and producing certification deliverables for electrified and propulsion-critical systems.

Both sides of the process

We have worked inside engineering teams defining requirements and produced the work that went into the regulatory approval pipeline. We know what assessors actually scrutinize.

Domain depth in propulsion & braking

Our work is concentrated in propulsion, braking, steering, and high-voltage electrical systems — e-motors, inverters, traction drives, brake actuators, and propulsion controls.

Cross-sector range

ISO 26262 is a derivative of IEC 61508. EN 50126 applies the same underlying framework to rail. If you can navigate one rigorously, you can navigate any derivative. Our methodology applies across automotive, rail, naval, and aerospace — with the domain knowledge to know where each sector's interpretation diverges.

Functional Safety — Automotive

OEM & Tier 1 Programs

ISO 26262 safety planning, FMEA/FMEDA, and gap analysis for e-motor, inverter, and brake-by-wire programs at vehicle manufacturers and their electrical system suppliers.

RAMS & Safety Assurance — Rail

Rolling Stock & Propulsion Programs

EN 50126 / 50128 / 50129 application on traction, braking, and propulsion control systems. Safety case development, hazard logs, and ISA coordination.

Cross-sector — Naval & Aerospace

Marine Drive & Aerospace Propulsion

Standards-based safety work across marine electric drive and steering systems and aerospace propulsion control — adapting functional safety principles across different regulatory regimes and classification society requirements.

Let's talk about
where you are
in the process.

Every engagement starts with a conversation about what you're working toward, which standards apply, and where the real gaps are. Whether you're scoping a new program, stuck mid-certification, or building out a compliance function — it's worth thirty minutes.