Clean-tech emissions control company Clean Diesel Technologies Inc. today announced that its sales so far this year are consistent with the results of a survey by the Manufacturers of Emission Controls Association, which revealed a “slow pace” of diesel particulate filter sales under the mandatory California Truck and Bus Regulation.
According to results released last month, the total number of verified DPFs sold by MECA member companies for in-use, on-road heavy-duty diesel vehicles operating in California, including school buses, is 3,030 for the first half of 2012.
Retrofit manufacturers such as CDTi were expecting this number to be much higher due to the requirements of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in-use truck and bus regulation. Under the regulation, CARB projected that approximately 12,000 filters would be installed in 2012 to meet a Jan. 1, 2013 compliance deadline and about 66,000 would be installed from 2011 to 2015. Yet the 3,030 verified DPFs sold between Jan. 1 and June 30 is only half of the projected amount.
CDTi said this could be attributable to the level of operator education and the intensity of state enforcement actions. Working with the California Highway Patrol and other agencies, the CARB deployed inspectors throughout the state in August, focusing on truck stops, fleet facilities, weigh stations and other areas where diesel vehicles are present to ensure full compliance with the regulation’s requirements.
“The rate of verified DPFs sold has been below our and the industry’s expectations. However, while we have been successful in winning fleet operator business, we expect the trends to continue through the third quarter,” said Craig Breese, chief executive officer of CDTi. “We trust that the targeted and coordinated efforts by multiple state agencies will stimulate operators to initiate steps to comply with the Jan. 1, 2013 deadline and drive sales in the fourth quarter and beyond.”
CDTi, a manufacturer and distributor of emissions control systems and products, also stated that its product portfolio would expand further with pending CARB approvals.
