[jonnathanson]

Honestly? I'm not sure. I know there are at least a few physicists who post on HN, and perhaps one of them could provide a more informed estimation than I.

Bear in mind, this article only addresses one of the many fundamental challenges to the Alcubierre drive: the energy requirements. Typically, the energy requirement has been considered the primary challenge to the feasibility of the device. But it's not the only one. Science hasn't completely worked out what would happen inside the bubble, or what happens to particles of matter interacting with the bubble at its leading edge. I've heard at least one speculation that the bubble would fill up with Hawking radiation and pretty much roast everyone alive inside it, like a big, interstellar dutch oven.

Another issue is the stability of the bubble itself. Again, the article doesn't really address this issue. But it's a pretty big one.

[shanelja]

It sounds like we are as yet a long, long way away from this being a reality, but I suppose it only takes a couple of leaps forward to make it more than just 'maybe possible'.