A motor control apparatus for controlling a power supply to an electrical multiphase AC motor connected to an output terminal of the motor control apparatus comprising: an overcurrent protection circuit having at least one input terminal adapted to receive a phase supply voltage from a power supply network and having a power switch through which the electrical multiphase AC motor is adapted to receive an electrical load current (I L) and having a current rise speed sensor component connected in series with the power switch of the overcurrent protection circuit, wherein the current rise speed sensor component of the overcurrent protection circuit is adapted to generate directly a voltage drop (ΔU 4) corresponding to the current rise speed of the electrical load current (I L) flowing from the input terminal of the motor control apparatus via the current rise speed sensor component and the power switch to the output terminal, said overcurrent protection circuit further having a driver circuit which is adapted to detect an occurring overcurrent depending on the voltage drop (ΔU 4) generated by the current rise speed sensor component and depending on a non-linear voltage drop (ΔU 5) along the power switch and which is adapted to switch off said power switch upon detection of an overcurrent within a switch-off period of less than one millisecond, wherein the driver circuit is adapted to operate independently from a control unit of said motor control apparatus to provide protection against an overcurrent by switching off the power switch if the generated voltage drop (ΔU 4) plus the voltage drop (ΔU 5) along the power switch applied as a sum voltage (U Σ) to an input of the driver circuit exceeds a configurable threshold voltage (U TH); said motor control apparatus further comprising a power supply control circuit having a voltage sensor component adapted to measure at the input terminal the received phase supply voltage notified to the control unit of the motor control apparatus to provide a supply voltage profile, wherein the control unit is adapted to control an electrical power supplied to the electrical multiphase AC motor depending on an operation mode of the electrical multiphase AC motor, wherein the operation mode of the electrical multiphase AC motor is determined by a processor or FPGA circuit of the control unit by processing the supply voltage profile and a load current profile. an overcurrent protection circuit having at least one input terminal adapted to receive a phase supply voltage from a power supply network and having a power switch through which the electrical multiphase AC motor is adapted to receive an electrical load current (I L) and having a current rise speed sensor component connected in series with the power switch of the overcurrent protection circuit, wherein the current rise speed sensor component of the overcurrent protection circuit is adapted to generate directly a voltage drop (ΔU 4) corresponding to the current rise speed of the electrical load current (I L) flowing from the input terminal of the motor control apparatus via the current rise speed sensor component and the power switch to the output terminal, said overcurrent protection circuit further having a driver circuit which is adapted to detect an occurring overcurrent depending on the voltage drop (ΔU 4) generated by the current rise speed sensor component and depending on a non-linear voltage drop (ΔU 5) along the power switch and which is adapted to switch off said power switch upon detection of an overcurrent within a switch-off period of less than one millisecond, wherein the driver circuit is adapted to operate independently from a control unit of said motor control apparatus to provide protection against an overcurrent by switching off the power switch if the generated voltage drop (ΔU 4) plus the voltage drop (ΔU 5) along the power switch applied as a sum voltage (U Σ) to an input of the driver circuit exceeds a configurable threshold voltage (U TH); said motor control apparatus further comprising a power supply control circuit having a voltage sensor component adapted to measure at the input terminal the received phase supply voltage notified to the control unit of the motor control apparatus to provide a supply voltage profile, wherein the control unit is adapted to control an electrical power supplied to the electrical multiphase AC motor depending on an operation mode of the electrical multiphase AC motor, wherein the operation mode of the electrical multiphase AC motor is determined by a processor or FPGA circuit of the control unit by processing the supply voltage profile and a load current profile.