From the sidelines, it's easy to see how California ended up where it did. Because the basic tenets guiding Assembly Bill 844 are commendable.
Foundationally, the proposed legislation attempts to look out for consumers and the environment while challenging the tire industry to push the limits of innovation and sustainability. But in building the proposed law, California missed the mark, particularly when it comes to overly aggressive rolling resistance coefficient standards.
The state's suggestion? A phased-in minimum RRC standard of 9 N/kN by 2026 and 7 N/kN by 2028.
If that sounds extreme, it should. A vast majority of replacement tires sold today have RRCs between 8.5 and 10 N/kN.
At best, the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association estimates that around 56 percent of today's replacement tires do not meet the 2026 RRC proposal. Further, 97 percent don't meet the tentative 2028 mandate. At worst, should the RRC proposal stand, those numbers jump to 90 percent in 2026 and 100 percent in 2028.