[stevage]

Wow. This whole logic sounds like something really harebrained from a Dr Who episode: "It takes energy to destroy information. Therefore if you don't destroy information, it doesn't take energy!" - sounds completely illogical.

I honestly don't understand from the article how you "recover energy". Yet I have no reason to disbelieve it.

[kibwen]

Someone else here compared it to regenerative braking in cars, which is what made it click for me. If you spend energy to accelerate, then recapture that energy while decelerating, then you can manage to transport yourself while your net energy expenditure is zero (other than all that pesky friction). On the other hand, if you spend energy to accelerate, then shed all that energy via heat from your brake pads, then you need to expend new energy to accelerate next time.

[EncomLab]

If the concept has existed for 60 years and no one has capitalized it yet - you can bet it's more Dr. Who than reality.