Would a permanent magnet generator work?

i thought generators work like a current pump they ramp up the voltage until they get the current flowing.

i got this from how stuff works

"One simple way to think about a generator is to imagine it acting like a pump pushing water through a pipe. Only instead of pushing water, a generator uses a magnet to push electrons along. This is a slight oversimplification, but it paints a helpful picture of the properties at work in a generator. A water pump moves a certain number of water molecules and applies a certain amount of pressure to them. In the same way, the magnet in a generator pushes a certain number of electrons along and applies a certain amount of "pressure" to the electrons."

i was also under the impression that this is how an alternator worked (i know they're not the same thing).

i thought that attaching a permanent magnet motor to an engine would produce the desired voltage, with a varied current.

i could be horribly wrong, so feel free to correct me.

Thanks guys was just a thought, since in a newbie to all this and would like to get a few answers I thought the guys and girls on here would have more of a idea than me.

yet one other idea if anyone has tried it and wouldn't mind shearing, could I use something like a alternator or a series of them something like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3Dmwo-Pe0k

I have been told that I would have problems powering a unit like this and have been looking at the warp11/13 or k11/13 motors for this.

warp motors

http://www.ev-propulsion.com/motors.html

k11/13 motors

http://kostov-motors.com/tractionmotors/kostovevmotors-and-kits/seriesdcmotorsforelectricvehicles/

and to implant in a car like this Ford Mondeo zetec 2000

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=341986069

any ideas of how it would work?