[1][2] El 17, the latest purchase, had proved unreliable, and NSB wanted to remove them from mainline service.

[4] Siemens' proposal for the former was branded Dovresprinter and was a cooperation between Kværner and NSB's workshop at Sundland in Drammen.

[4] Prior to the final negotiations, union representatives for the train drivers stated that Lok 2000 was their preference, and that NSB could expect a dispute if they chose a different model.

[6] The final negotiations were made with ABB/SLM and AEG and on 2 September, and NSB approved the agreement with ABB/SLM for a purchase of 22 units.

The dual-voltage system was dropped during the procurement process, but NSB stated that if they needed such units, compatibility could be provided in future orders of the class.

[5] When entering service, the locomotives replaced NSB's oldest units, El 13, which were then retired.

This reduced NSB's average locomotive age from 31 to 18+1⁄2 years at the time of the end of the delivery.

[8] During 1997, there were five incidents where NSB's Nordic Mobile Telephone equipment interfered with the locomotive's electronics, causing the emergency brakes to activate.

Part of the problem was caused by a mechanism in the locomotives whereby the motor was turned off if the wheels spin.

The result was that the full power output of the El 18 along parts of the railway network could not be utilized.

The class was originally built in 119 units from 1992 to 1995 for the Swiss State Railways, where it was given the brand Lok 2000.

The units are designed to haul heavy passenger trains along existing curved railways at high speeds.