"It's called the Long Haul because this alternator is built to go the distance," according to Reighart.  Built from the ground up with advanced engineering, the alternator features:

• Bosch patented high-efficiency winding technology that uses 30 percent more copper than conventional replacement alternators, producing increased efficiency and fuel savings.
• External, heat-dissipating regulator and external rectifier, mounted directly in the stream of air on the back of the unit combine with the alternator's heat sink design, to allow rapid heat dissipation and cool operation. The rectifier body design prevents clogging from heat-damaging debris.
• Advanced Bosch diodes in the rectifier and regulator provide longer life and are the best in the industry.
• Dual internal cooling fans maximize the cooling air pulled through the alternator, drawing air from both front and back of the alternator. Heat is driven out through vents circling the housing.
• Exclusive long-life bearings combine specially heat-treated, long-life steel bearings with heat-resistant and water repelling lubricant withstands wear for tens of thousands of miles.
• Reduced slip ring diameter reduces carbon brush wear.

"Every Long Haul Alternator is a new unit, 100-percent factory-tested to ensure top performance and reliability. And its ability to replace over 220 different OE alternators with one Bosch part number means reduced inventory and no core handling for fleets and distributors alike," Reighart said.

"While the Long Haul Alternator produces the electrical power commercial vehicles need, it also saves fuel every mile it is driven, and fights underhood heat," said Lee Reighart, Group Product Manager, Starting and Charging Products for Bosch.

Producing 160 amps operating output, and 80 amps at idle, the Long Haul's higher charge rate at idle prolongs battery life by reducing deep cycling. Plus, the Long Haul is built to "really take the heat."  Dual internal cooling fans are optimized for air flow and help maintain the Long Haul's even temperature under all operating conditions. Most other alternators fail at slightly over 110 degrees Celsius (230 degrees Fahrenheit).

The Long Haul's exclusive Self Protection Regulator technology automatically reduces the output to prevent failure when underhood temperatures reach 125 degrees Celsius (257 degrees Fahrenheit.) Output returns to normal when the temperature drops below 125 degrees Celsius (257 degrees Fahrenheit).

"This is the ideal alternator for the higher underhood temperatures experienced by today’s hard-working heavy-duty vehicles," Reighart said.

The Long Haul alternator (AL9960LH), which replaces more than 220 different original equipment alternators, operates at more than 70 percent efficiency while conventional OE replacement alternators operate at 55 percent efficiency. This high efficiency design transforms energy into power rather than performance-robbing heat saving fuel every mile.

Backed by Bosch's exclusive 24-month, 250,000-mile warranty, the high-efficiency Long Haul Alternator can save as much as $400 in fuel savings over 100,000 miles on the road. The powerful alternator may well pay for itself in the first year it is installed – and as fuel costs continue to soar, this could be an increasingly important factor, Reighart indicated.