In known starting devices, an individual
starter is provided which accelerates the
internal combustion engine to only a relatively low rotational speed at which an initial injection with subsequent
combustion takes place. During a
cold start of the
internal combustion engine, it is therefore absolutely necessary to provide a relatively rich fuel / air mixture for the initial injection. However, this results in a situation in which, during this phase, relatively high
exhaust gas emissions, in particular of hydrocarbons, are produced, which cannot be controlled by a
catalytic converter which is not yet at its
operating temperature. In order to reduce the
exhaust gas emissions, a starting device for an
internal combustion engine is proposed which has two starters for starting the internal
combustion engine, a first
starter being activated at the beginning of the starting process and being deactivated after a specific rotational speed of the internal
combustion engine has been reached, a second
starter (2) being activated. The second starter subsequently drives the internal combustion engine further to a specific
setpoint rotational speed, after which, when the
setpoint rotational speed has been reached, an initial injection of fuel for subsequent combustion is carried out. The starting device according to the invention is provided for internal combustion engines of vehicles.