Make it so they can only recharge when not being used, not continuously, and reduce turbo cost... That would differentiate "travelling" and "fighting" configurations.

No.

Seriously. Your "fix" would completely ruin energy weapons. It's hard enough to chase after somebody in a tach vult when your battery is recharging at a full rate. Add that to the fact that all energy weapons will now cost more since the battery is not charging as you're firing.

This would also drastically increase turbo costs since batteries are no longer recharging as they are being used.

So, I would like to quote a favorite movie of mine before I go:
"Michael: Tom. . . that is THE worst idea I have ever heard."
"Samir: Yes. . . horrible. . . this idea."

That's why I said "reduce turbo cost", but apparently you didn't even take the time to read the whole ONE-LINE idea.

It wouldn't ruin energy weapons, it would simply make it so that you have to sacrifice turbo capabilities to use them. That makes sense to me, balance-wise and realism-wise.

This would actually buff flares... god forbid...

This would nerf energy weapons and make rocket ramming configurations even more attractive.

Balance? I don't see it.

just my 2¢ though...

People with rockets have to refill periodically, people who use energy don't. My proposed change would make rockets more suitable for hit-and-run and for arming traders, whereas energy would become for dedicated fighters. Reducing the costs of energy weapons would balance, as would any number of other things.

Rockets are already for hit-and-run, and energy for 'dedicated' fighters.
This will only give rocket-users even more advantages.. wich they not really deserve :P

but people who run out of rockets can just fly back to station, and the energy user wont beable to keep up a steady stream of shots while giving chase.

If you decreased the cost for energy weapons or increased battery capacities, he would. Also, you bring up another point: combining energy (primary) and projectile (secondary) weapons instead of people just using one or the other.

battery caps are fine as it is, and if you make energy weapons use less enrgey you would hav to be vry careful about it or you ill really unblanance some crap.