The E 499.3 is a four-axle electric locomotive for service under 3 kV DC. It was built by Škoda on the basis of the ES 499.1, but does not have equipment for running under 25 kV AC. The manufacturer designates this type 71 E. A total of 180 were built between 1984 and 1992 and some were only taken over by their operators in 1995. These were now the Czech ČD, the Slovak ŽSR and the Italian FNM. There are the class 162 for passenger service with a top speed of 140 km/h and the class 163 with a lower gear ratio for 120 km/h for freight service.
Some locomotives were temporarily leased to the Polish PKP and were designated EU11. The nine locomotives of the Ferrovie Nord Milano came back to the ČD in 2010. In 2011 ČD Cargo started to rebuild the first locomotives to class 363.5. The class number starting with 3 indicates that they can also run under 25 kV AC. Now, these are being controlled by IGBT converters which can feed braking energy back into the overhead line. In the same year, the Slowak railway that is now being called ZSSK started to rebuild their locomotives for service under two systems, too. These are called class 361 and have a top speed of 160 km/h.
