The consumers had already lost the ability to choose because the tire retailers pushed the lower quality, higher profit margin tires and had reduced options for the better quality tires, resulting in a quasi monopoly for premium tire manufacturers. It's not much of a choice when all a consumer can find at most retail outlets is the low quality tires that don't last and that are prone to punctures and tire wall deterioration. You state that prices will increase. Unfortunately, that is the short sighted analysis which plagues US financial thinking. It's all about low cost, never quality, with the result that poor quality products are delivered, that do not last and that in the end, cost the consumer more because of the poor quality. Have you looked at the so called costs? The California Energy Commission states that the upfront cost increases for consumers will be small: Phase 1 (Starting 2029): Prices will rise by about $1.50 per tire. Phase 2 (Starting 2033): Prices will rise by about $6.50 per tire. State officials say fuel savings will offset these higher prices within a few years Per Driver: A typical driver of a gasoline car will save about $85- $179 in fuel costs over the four-year lifetime of a set of more efficient replacement tires. Statewide Annual Savings: The rules will save drivers nearly $1 billion a year in combined gasoline and electricity costs. Environmental Impact: Cutting fuel use reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 2 million metric tons annually, which equals removing about 400,000 gasoline cars from the road Opponents of the improved tire quality have said that tire costs will increase by 15 to 20 %. In a worst case scennario, the typical cost of a set of 4 tires in California ranges from $450 to $1300. Therefore a 15% increase will result in a one time increase of $68-$195. Aside from the cost savings arising from the improved tire quality, there will be direct fuel cost savings arising from the improved rolling efficiency. The expected fuel savings of $85-$179 will offset the increased cost of the tires.
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