What on earth is a

[crankedup]

DYNOSTART MOTOR.

Is it a starter motor sort of thingi

[Pigeon]

It's a device which converts electrical energy into mechanical energy to start the engine, then converts mechanical energy into electrical energy to charge the battery etc. A Dynamo and a Starter all in one. They tend to be a bit crap because of the design compromises between the two functions, but it depends on the application. The diesel-hydraulic locomotives of the Western Region used to have them. I think cars stopped using them before the war, though I don't think they were ever that popular.

[GreenV8S]

I hear this idea is being revisited, the new idea is a starter/alternater built into the flywheel with a separate clutch onto the crank. Idea seems to be that you gently spin the flywheel up over a few seconds using say 100 Amps, then use this to bump start the rest of the engine. Apparently has various advantages over the conventional flywheel/sarter/alternator system. Dunno if it will ever happen, but it's being taken seriously.

[annodomini2]

Some companies are putting a lot of money into it, but i think their using a 3-phase motor so more complex electronics to go wrong.