Exclusive | Major California tire CEO calls new rules as wasteful as high-speed rail

California-based tire giant Dunlop has compared the state’s sweeping new green tire mandate to its dud High-Speed Rail project — warning officials to prove it works before forcing the rules on millions of drivers.Darren Thomas, president and CEO of Dunlop Tires North America, issued a withering rebuke of California’s newly approved replacement-tire efficiency rules in remarks to The California Post.Thomas said regulators risk repeating the mistakes of California’s massively over-budget bullet train by pursuing environmental goals without sufficiently testing the real-world consequences.“We’re asking California to prove that the regulation produces a better overall outcome for Californians,” Thomas told the California Post.

“As a state we failed to do that with High-Speed Rail.Another initiative that cost taxpayers billions and promised lower fuel consumption and emissions.”The tire boss implied that the new rules, which will phase out the sale of replacement tires that don’t meet the state’s energy-efficiency standards, were rushed through for the wrong reasons.“A political position isn’t required to gauge the success of that endeavor.

Given the pressure on the California consumer, let’s get this one right and let’s do it for all the right reasons,” he said.The rules by the California Energy Commission target a tire’s “rolling resistance,” or how much energy it takes to keep a tire moving down the road.Lower resistance means cars use less gas or electricity from better mileage, which Democrats claimed will help affordability and reduce emissions.But that ban on high-resistance replacement tires, which kicks in 2029, has sparked backlash as critics warn of a surge in prices as the industry scrambles to replace as much as 70% of the tire market.

Average tire prices could increase from $81 to up to $157, according to the Tire Industry Association.For a full set of tires, the difference could exceed $300 per vehicle.Thomas told ...