In known drive systems, the motor control unit may, for example, be an ignition control unit which operates without interrupter. In another known drive system, the motor control unit is a unit controlling the injection process, that is the amount of fuel injected during each cycle is matched to the then-present operating conditions. The known motor control units are generally used in automobiles which have a manual transmission. However, automatic transmissions may also be used. The transmission control unit associated with such an automatic transmission controls the shifting of the transmission in dependence on the load and the vehicle speed. Under particular shifting and other operating conditions, undesired jolts may occur. When shifts take place under load, the friction elements in the transmission may be subject to excessive wear.