The E el-5 had a German built MAN engine giving 1,200 hp (890 kW) at 450 rpm.

The E el 12 had a Soviet built engine, based on the German design, giving 1,050 hp (780 kW) at 425 rpm.

There were five 140 kW Brown Boveri traction motors, connected in parallel.

Innovations in the E el-5 included forced ventilation for the traction motors, field weakening for high speed running and rheostatic braking.

The rheostatic braking was excluded from the Soviet built locomotives, to save weight, but they still weighed several tons more than the E el-5.