Significant Accounting Policies - (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions, including intercompany profits and losses and intercompany balances, have been eliminated in consolidation.

Discontinued Operations

When the Company commits to a plan to dispose of a component of the Company or a group of components of the Company, it is required to be reported in discontinued operations if the disposal represents a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on the Company's operations and financial results when certain events have occurred as defined by ASU 2014-08 "Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205) and Property, Plant, and Equipment (Topic 360): Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity." A business' operations are classified as discontinued operations for all periods that would be presented. In the statements of cash flows, the cash flows of discontinued operations are separately classified and aggregated.

Discontinued operations includes accruals and related costs for the Company's estimated liability to settle its ongoing indemnification matters with Johnson Matthey ("JM") associated with the sale of Applied Utility Systems, Inc. ("AUS"), a former subsidiary of the Company, in 2009.

For additional information, refer to Note 21, "Discontinued Operations".

All discussions and amounts in the consolidated financial statements and related notes for all periods presented relate to continuing operations only, unless otherwise noted.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S requires management of the Company to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent liabilities. These estimates and assumptions are based on management's best estimates and judgment. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates its estimates and assumptions, including those related to impairment of goodwill and long-lived assets, stock-based compensation, the fair value of financial instruments including warrants, allowance for doubtful accounts, inventory valuation, taxes and contingent and accrued liabilities. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and various other factors, including the current economic environment, which it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. Estimates and assumptions are adjusted when facts and circumstances dictate. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions and conditions. Management believes that the estimates are reasonable.

Cash

Cash consists of cash balances on hand and on deposit at banks. Cash on deposit at banks at times may exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) limits. The Company believes no significant concentration of credit risk exists with respect to these cash balances.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable are recorded at the invoiced amount and do not bear interest. Accounts receivable are presented net of a reserve for doubtful accounts of $0.4 million and $0.3 million at December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The allowance for doubtful accounts is the Company's best estimate of the amount of probable credit losses in the Company's existing accounts receivable. The Company determines the allowance based on historical write-off experience and past due balances over 90 days that are reviewed individually for collectability. Account balances are charged off against the allowance after all means of collection have been exhausted and the potential for recovery is considered remote. The Company does not have any off balance sheet credit exposure related to its customer.

Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (FIFO method) or market (net realizable value). Finished goods inventory includes materials, labor and manufacturing overhead. The Company establishes provisions for inventory that is obsolete or when quantities on hand are in excess of estimated forecasted demand. The creation of such provisions results in a write-down of inventory to net realizable value and a charge to cost of sales.

The Company's inventory includes precious metals (platinum, palladium and rhodium) for use in the manufacturing of catalysts. The precious metals are valued at the lower of cost or market, consistent with the Company's other inventory.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment is capitalized at cost and is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization is determined using the straight line method over the estimated useful lives of the various asset classes. Machinery and equipment are depreciated over 2 to 10 years; furniture and fixtures, computer hardware and software and vehicles are depreciated over 2 to 5 years. Property and equipment held under capital leases and leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of estimated useful lives or the lease term. Repairs and maintenance are charged to expense as incurred and major replacements or betterments are capitalized.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill is the excess of the purchase price of an acquired entity over the fair value of net identified tangible and intangible assets acquired and is recorded in the reporting unit (operating segment or one level below operating segment) that is expected to benefit from the business combination. Goodwill is not amortized, but rather tested for impairment at least annually or more often whenever events or circumstances indicate that goodwill might be impaired. The Company performs its annual impairment test as of October 31.

Goodwill is tested at the reporting unit level using a two-step impairment test. The first step is to compare the fair value of the reporting unit to its carrying value, including goodwill. If the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds the fair value, a second step is performed in order to determine the amount of impairment loss, if any. The second step compares the implied fair value of the reporting unit's goodwill with the carrying amount of that goodwill. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit's goodwill exceeds its implied fair value, an impairment charge is recognized in an amount equal to that excess. Prior to performing the two-step impairment test, the Company may make a qualitative assessment of the likelihood of goodwill impairment in order to determine whether a detailed quantitative analysis is required.

The Company's Engine Control Systems reporting unit, contains all of the Company's allocated goodwill. See note 15 for further discussion of the impairment which occurred in 2016.

The Company's intangible assets consist of trade names, acquired patents and technology, and customer relationships and have finite lives. Intangible assets are carried at cost, less accumulated amortization. Amortization is computed on a straight-line or accelerated basis over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets, ranging from 4 to 20 years.

Long Lived Assets

Assets such as property and equipment and amortizable intangible assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. An impairment loss is recognized when the sum of the expected undiscounted future net cash flows of an asset or asset group is less than its carrying amount and is measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset or asset group exceeds its fair value.

Warrants and Derivative Liabilities

The Company accounts for the issuance of Company derivative equity instruments in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 815-40 "Derivative and Hedging". The Company reviews common stock purchase warrants at each balance sheet date based upon the characteristics and provision of each particular instrument and classifies them on the balance sheet as equity or a liability. Below are some of the factors the Company considers with the corresponding balance sheet classification:


•	Equity if the awards (i) require physical settlement or net-share settlement, or (ii) give the Company a choice of net-cash settlement or settlement in the Company's own shares (physical settlement or net-share settlement), or as


•	Liabilities if the awards (i) require net-cash settlement (including a requirement to net-cash settle the contract if an event occurs and if that event is outside the Company's control), or (ii) give the counterparty a choice of net-cash settlement or settlement in shares (physical settlement of net-share settlement).

The Company assesses classification of common stock purchase warrants and other freestanding derivatives at each reporting date to determine whether a change in classification between assets and liabilities and equity is required.

Income Taxes

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance against deferred tax assets is required if, based on the weight of available evidence, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The valuation allowance should be sufficient to reduce the deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized.

The Company recognizes the effect of income tax positions only if those positions are more likely than not of being sustained. Changes in recognition or measurement are reflected in the period in which the change occurs. The Company records interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefit in income tax expense.

Revenue Recognition

Revenues are derived primarily from the sale of products. The Company generally recognizes revenue when products are shipped and the customer takes ownership and assumes risk of loss, collection of the relevant receivable is reasonably assured, persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists and the sales price is fixed or determinable. There are certain customers where risk of loss transfers at destination point and revenue is recognized when product is delivered to the destination. For these customers, revenue is recognized upon receipt at the customer's warehouse. When terms of sale include subjective customer acceptance criteria, the Company defers revenue until the acceptance criteria are met. The determination of whether or not the customer acceptance terms are perfunctory or inconsequential impacts the amount and timing of the revenue recognized.

Research and Development

Research and development costs are generally expensed as incurred. These expenses include the salary and benefits for the research and development staff as well as travel, research materials, testing and legal expense related to patenting intellectual property. Also included is any depreciation related to assets utilized in the development of new products.

Stock-Based Compensation

Equity awards consist of stock options and restricted stock units ("RSUs"). The Company measures the compensation cost for all stock-based awards at fair value on the date of grant and recognizes it on a straight-line basis over the service period for awards expected to vest, which is generally three years.

The Company measures the fair value of stock options using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model and certain assumptions, including the expected life of the stock options, an expected forfeiture rate and the expected volatility of its common stock. The fair value of RSUs is based on the closing price of the Company's common stock on the grant date.

Product Warranty

The Company provides for the estimated cost of product warranties in cost of sales, at the time product revenue is recognized. Warranty costs are estimated primarily using historical warranty information in conjunction with current engineering assessments applied to the Company's expected repair or replacement costs.

Foreign Currency

The functional currency of the Heavy Duty Diesel Systems division's Engine Control Systems Limited subsidiary in Canada is the Canadian dollar, while that of its subsidiary Engine Control Systems Europe AB in Sweden is the Swedish krona and the division's Clean Diesel Technologies Limited U.K. subsidiary, is the British pound sterling. The functional currency of the Catalyst division's Japanese branch office and Asian investment is the Japanese Yen. Accordingly, the assets and liabilities of the foreign locations are translated into U.S. dollars at period-end exchange rates. Revenue and expense accounts are translated at the average exchange rates for the period. The resulting foreign currency exchange adjustments are charged or credited directly to other comprehensive income or loss as a separate component of stockholders' equity. Unrealized foreign currency exchange gains and losses on certain intercompany transactions that are of a long-term investment nature (i.e. settlement is not planned or anticipated in the foreseeable future) are also recorded in other comprehensive income or loss in stockholders' equity. Accumulated other comprehensive loss contained only foreign currency translation adjustments as of December 31, 2016 and 2015.

The Company has exposure to multiple currencies. The primary exposure is between the U.S. dollar, the Canadian dollar, the Euro, British pound sterling and Swedish krona. Gains and losses arising from transactions denominated in currencies other than the functional currency of the entity are included in other income (expense) in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss. Gains and losses arising from transactions denominated in foreign currencies are primarily related to inter-company loans that have been determined to be temporary in nature, cash, accounts receivable and accounts payable denominated in non-functional currencies.

Net Loss per Share

Basic net loss per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares and dilutive potential common shares. Dilutive potential common shares include employee stock options, RSUs, warrants and debt that are convertible into the Company's common stock.

Diluted net loss per share excludes certain dilutive potential common shares outstanding as their effect is anti-dilutive. Because the Company incurred net losses in the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, the effect of potentially dilutive securities has been excluded in the computation of net loss per share as their impact would be anti-dilutive.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair value is defined as an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset and liability. As a basis for considering such assumptions, a fair value hierarchy has been established that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (level 1 measurement) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (level 3 measurements). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are as follows:


•	Level 1: Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;


•	Level 2: Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are either directly or indirectly observable including quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets and quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and


•	Level 3: Unobservable inputs in which little or no market activity exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

ASC Topic 825, "Financial Instruments", requires disclosure of the fair value of financial instruments for which the determination of fair value is practicable. The fair values of the Company's cash, trade accounts receivable, prepaid expenses and other current assets, accounts payable and accrued expenses and other current liabilities approximate carrying values due to the short maturity of these instruments. The fair value of borrowings under the line of credit approximates their carrying value due to the variable interest rates. The fair value of shareholder notes payable, calculated using level 3 inputs, and a net present value model, was $1.8 million and $7.6 million at December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Reclassifications

Certain prior-period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. These changes had no impact on the previously reported consolidated results of operations or stockholders' equity.

Recently Issued Accounting Guidance

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU No. 2014-9, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)". ASU No. 2014-9 supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in "Revenue Recognition (Topic 605)". ASU No. 2014-9 requires entities to recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. In July 2015, the FASB finalized the delay of the effective date by one year, making the new standard effective for interim periods and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted, but it is not permitted earlier than the original effective date. ASU No. 2014-9 provides for either full retrospective adoption or a modified retrospective adoption by which it is applied only to the most current period presented. While the Company has not finalized the impact of the adoption of ASU No. 2014-9 on its consolidated financial statements, the Company does not expect the adoption to have a material impact.

In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-15, "Presentation of Financial Statements-Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40): Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity's Ability to Continue as a Going Concern". ASU No. 2014-15 defines management's responsibility to assess an entity's ability to continue as a going concern, and to provide related footnote disclosures in certain circumstances. It is effective for annual reporting periods ending after December 15, 2016, and for annual and interim reporting periods thereafter. Early adoption is permitted. The Company has elected to early adopt the provision and has provided the appropriate disclosure in Note 2.

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-03, "Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs" which requires companies to present debt issuance costs the same way they currently present debt discounts, as a direct deduction from the carrying value of that debt liability. ASU No. 2015-03 does not impact the recognition and measurement guidance for debt issuance costs. The provisions in this ASU are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is allowed for all entities for financial statements that have not been previously issued. Entities would apply the new guidance retrospectively to all prior periods (i.e., the balance sheet for each period is adjusted). The adoption of this provision did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, "Inventory (Topic 330): Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory". ASU No. 2015-11 changes the measurement principle for inventory from the "lower of cost or market" to "lower of cost and net realizable value." Net realizable value is defined as the "estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation." ASU No. 2015-11 eliminates the guidance that entities consider replacement cost or net realizable value less an approximately normal profit margin in the subsequent measurement of inventory when cost is determined on a first-in, first-out or average cost basis. It is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company has not yet determined whether it will elect to early adopt ASU No. 2015-11, and it is currently in the process of evaluating the impact of the adoption of ASU No. 2015-11 on its consolidated financial statements.

In January 2016, FASB issued ASU No. 2016-1, "Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities". ASU No. 2016-1 requires equity investments to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income; simplifies the impairment assessment of equity investments without readily determinable fair values by requiring a qualitative assessment to identify impairment; eliminates the requirement for public business entities to disclose the method(s) and significant assumptions used to estimate the fair value that is required to be disclosed for financial instruments measured at amortized cost on the balance sheet; requires public business entities to use the exit price notion when measuring the fair value of financial instruments for disclosure purposes; requires an entity to present separately in other comprehensive income the portion of the total change in the fair value of a liability resulting from a change in the instrument-specific credit risk when the entity has elected to measure the liability at fair value in accordance with the fair value option for financial instruments; requires separate presentation of financial assets and financial liabilities by measurement category and form of financial assets on the balance sheet or the accompanying notes to the financial statements and clarifies that an entity should evaluate the need for a valuation allowance on a deferred tax asset related to available-for-sale securities in combination with the entity's other deferred tax assets. ASU No. 2016-1 is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently in the process of evaluating the impact of the adoption of ASU No. 2016-1 on its consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-2, "Leases (Topic 842)." ASU No. 2016-2 requires the recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities by lessees for those leases classified as operating leases under previous U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. It is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. Entities are required to recognize and measure leases at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. The Company is evaluating the impact of adoption of ASU No. 2016-2 on its consolidated financial statements.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, “Compensation - Stock Compensation: Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting”. ASU No. 2016-09 will change how companies account for certain aspects of share-based payments to employees. Entities will be required to recognize the income tax effects of awards in the statement of income when the awards vest or are settled, the guidance on employers’ accounting for an employee’s use of shares to satisfy the employer’s statutory income tax withholding obligation and for forfeitures is changing and the update requires companies to present excess tax benefits as an operating activity on the statement of cash flows rather than as a financing activity. ASU No. 2016-09 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016 and interim periods within those annual periods. Early adoption is permitted. The Company adopted ASU No. 2016-09 in the first quarter of 2017. The adoption of this provision did not have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, “Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments: a consensus of the Emerging Task Force.” ASU 2016-15 provides guidance on how certain cash receipts and payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows, including debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs, contingent consideration payments made after a business combination, and separately identifiable cash flows and application of the predominance principle. The standard is intended to reduce current diversity in practice. The standard will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those reporting periods. Early adoption is permitted. The Company has not yet evaluated the impact of the adoption of this accounting standard update on its consolidated financial statements.

In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, “Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets of Other Than Inventory.” Current GAAP prohibits the recognition of current and deferred income taxes for an intra-entity asset transfer until the asset has been sold to an outside party. ASU 2016-16 updates the current guidance by requiring that entities recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs. The amendments in this ASU do not change GAAP for the pre-tax effects of an intra-entity asset transfer under Topic 810, Consolidation, or for the income tax effects of an intra-entity transfer of inventory. The standard will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those reporting periods. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this accounting standard on its consolidated financial statements.