Many embedded systems support Java or higher-level languages. OCaml might be an option; Ada or Rust certainly would be.
In my experience the performance differences are often grossly overestimated (particularly if you compare equivalent development times). And increased development time or higher defect rates aren't free. What you say is true for a particular niche, but I think that niche is pretty narrow (and in that niche I think the risks of Rust, while real, are smaller than the risks of C++).