 The locomotives are nicknamed "Tigre" ("tiger").The E.632/E.633 were the first Italian locomotives to be provided with electronic traction control system, on the basis of the experiments made with the E.444.005 test locomotive.They were designed to fulfill a requirement from the Ferrovie dello Stato (or FS, then the quasi-monopolist of Italian railways) for a new locomotive to be used with medium-weight passenger trains and a similar one for cargo services on steep lines.