a.ashfield wrote: "With known science the only way it could work is by using up the potential energy of the permanent magnets"
I think the energy related to permanent magnets are overstated. A NdFeB magnet can be demagnetized easily by heating without a spectacular energy outcome. From entropic view this process could be even endothermic, the energy stored in magnet could be negative. We may ask such a question in physics stackexchange. I expect a detailed report from TU/e soon which contain power and energy figures.
