BOULDER - A company in Boulder that makes a product that saves truckers an estimated $5,000 per year in gasoline costs is growing quickly after being verified in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's SmartWay program.

Avantechs Inc.'s sales went from zero to 100 purchases of its VorBlade Wing System in a two-week period after the EPA SmartWay program verification was announced in October, said Natalie Melomed, a company spokeswoman. The VorBlade Wing System uses existing aviation industry technology on trucks to improve safety, the company said in a press statement. The flat product is bolted to the top of truck trailers to improve stability.

In general, the VorBlade Wing technology provides fuel savings and emissions reduction for big trucks, according to the EPA. Specifically, it meets the California Air Resources Board requirements for truck trailers, which goes into effect Jan. 1, according to the press statement.

The VorBlade wing with crosswind migitator carries a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $1,280. A Vorblade system for a truck only runs $369, or $979.80 for a truck and trailer.

"We're getting up to speed, and we're getting exposure," Melomed said. "We did not anticipate what this verification would do for sales."

Avantechs is in partnership talks with truck-manufacturing companies such as Daimler Trucks North America LLC in Portland, Oregon; Peterbilt Motors Co. in Denton, Texas; and Kenworth, a division of PACCAR Inc. in Kirkland, Washington, Melomed said. The company currently is funded through product sales, she said.

The Vorblade product also has been tested by the Texas Transportation Institute. Those tests found that tractor-trailers equipped with the VorBlad technology reduced their fuel consumption by 7 percent, the press statement said. That translates to the estimated cost savings of $5,000 per year per truck.