The invention proposes to regulate the power of hydraulic shafts no longer at the hydraulic side, but rather at the electric side by means of power electronics. This allows the hydraulic equipment to be operated in an open circuit, and in particular to drive in sequence any number of shafts by means of a single pump. The big advantage is that a high regulation quality is achieved for shafts exclusively driven by electric engines and above all the suppression of energy losses that occur in the state of the art. This new drive is particularly advantageous when it is made to interact with a potentiel that defines the opposite-driving forces on the drive. A pump with an internal geared wheel is preferably used. Although the system as a whole is a four-quadrant drive, it works at the pump drive side as a two-quadrant drive. The invention allows the "control and regulation philosophy" known in the electric field, in particular for power control and regulation, to be applied in hydraulic drive technology.