Abstract: A cooling device for an electric machine with thermal zones having interactions with one another is proposed, each of the thermal zones containing a heat source and a temperature sensor, and at least one cooling means, a controlling element connected to the temperature sensor being allocated to each thermal zone for activation of the at least one cooling means. The cooling device is characterized by the fact that outputs of a plurality of controlling elements can be connected to the at least one cooling means. In an inventive cooling device, a plurality of controlling elements can act on one or more cooling means, whereby cooling means are supported or completely replaced by other existing cooling means.