Electric buses (e-buses), e-vans, and e-trucks have the potential to improve both affordability and sustainability in transportation. With their higher annual kilometers traveled (AKT), these vehicles can significantly reduce emissions. Additionally, converting conventional motorcycles (CMs) to electric motorcycles (EMs) can directly lower the number of CMs on the road. However, studies on the total cost of ownership (TCO) of these types of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) remain limited in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Our study fills this gap by comparing the TCO of BEVs with their equivalent internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles across ASEAN countries. We calculate the TCO by summing the equity, loan installments, and operational and maintenance costs, then subtracting the vehicle's residual value. The cost inputs vary by country, depending on factors such as tax regulations, energy prices, incentives, interest rates, and other specific costs. Results show that e-buses generally have higher TCOs than ICE buses, except in Singapore. For e-trucks, the TCO remains higher due to the initial purchase costs. In contrast, e-vans typically have lower TCOs than ICE vans, except in Brunei Darussalam, where fuel prices are the lowest in ASEAN. Additionally, the TCO for converted EMs is lower than that of CMs. Our study also explores the potential for battery leasing and offers policy recommendations to improve cost competitiveness of BEVs. These insights provide valuable guidance for policymakers and stakeholders in advancing BEV adoption in ASEAN.

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Burdened by oil imports and subsidies for more than 5000 diesel power plants, Indonesia aims to use crude palm oil (CPO) as fuel in the power plants. Previous studies only focused on the technical feasibility of using CPO. Therefore, this study aimed to enrich the existing literature by analyzing the technical feasibility of using CPO, degummed CPO, and bleached palm oil (BPO) fuels on endurance test for 500 operational hours with a 20 kW diesel engine capacity for each type of fuels. Our analysis included component rating and the measurement of specific fuel consumption, emissions, oil dilution, and deposit materials. The assessment concluded that diesel engines using CPO, BPO, and degummed CPO increased specific fuel consumption, deposit formation, and emissions of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide compared to engines using a 30% FAME blend in HSD or Biodiesel 30. This implies that CPO, BPO, and degummed CPO could be used in diesel engines, though fuel consumption and maintenance costs tend to increase. Based on the test results, we provided an efficient CPO supply chain from CPO mills to diesel power plants.@en