A drive system for an electric motor includes a connection for a battery, and an inverter having an input side connected to an intermediate circuit and an output side having a connection for an electric motor. The intermediate circuit includes a first thyristor connected in parallel with an intermediate circuit capacitance. The drive system may also include a rectifier having an input side connected at the output side of the inverter in parallel with the electric motor, and a second thyristor connected an output side of the rectifier. The first/second thyristor are configured to be activated by a monitor incorporated in or assigned to the drive system. In the event of a malfunction, the input and/or output side of the inverter can be electrically isolated to allow a multiply redundant armature short circuit.