Electric vehicles (EVs) play a pivotal role in decarbonizing global transportation. In the ASEAN region, emerging economies such as Cambodia, Myanmar, and the Philippines face persistent barriers, including high upfront costs, limited charging infrastructure, and fragmented policies. This study presents a comparative analysis across five key dimensions: economic, infrastructural, technological, policy, and social factors. Unlike previous research focused on more developed ASEAN countries, this study highlights underrepresented markets, incorporating behavioral and cultural aspects alongside financing and policy issues. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including structured surveys, Kruskal–Wallis and Chi-square tests, confirmatory factor analysis, and thematic analysis of open-ended responses. Findings reveal common challenges such as affordability, charging access, and battery-related concerns, as well as country-specific issues like unreliable electricity in Myanmar and cultural skepticism in Cambodia. Based on the results, policy recommendations include tailored financing mechanisms, investment in charging infrastructure, public awareness initiatives, and the creation of a regional EV platform to support harmonization and knowledge sharing. This study provides timely insights for policymakers, development partners, and regional stakeholders seeking to promote inclusive and context-sensitive EV adoption strategies across ASEAN’s emerging economies.

Myanmar’s renewable resources could support green-hydrogen production, but evidence on how location, hourly variability, and system configuration influence performance remains limited. This study compares PV-only, wind-only, and hybrid PV–wind systems at five Myanmar locations. Hourly ERA5 data for 2015–2025 were converted into renewable-electricity profiles and supplied to a 10 MW proton-exchange-membrane electrolyser model. For each location, weather year, and cost scenario, 48 discrete renewable-capacity designs were evaluated through hourly dispatch, hydrogen production, electrolyser utilisation, curtailment, and plant-gate levelised cost of hydrogen (LCOH). PV capacity factors varied little among locations, while wind capacity factors exhibited greater spatial and interannual variability. Under the central cost case, Minbu consistently selected 15 MW PV, whereas Ngapudaw, Seikphyu, and Wundwin consistently selected 15 MW PV plus 10 MW wind. Wundwin achieved the lowest mean LCOH (10.30 USD/kg) and highest mean annual hydrogen production (725.30 tonnes/year). Mean LCOH across all locations ranged from 6.53 to 13.94 USD/kg under the low and high cost cases. Fixed-design analysis showed robust performance at four locations; Sittwe incurred a mean penalty of 0.06 USD/kg. Hydrogen cost therefore depends jointly on resource complementarity, electrolyser utilisation, curtailment, and renewable-capacity cost.