Stories by Alex Pasternack

Alex Pasternack is founding editor of Motherboard, Vice Media's tech-culture website, and a contributing editor at Fast Company, where he covers technology and science.

Side view of researcher wearing protective clothing and handling production of solid-state batteries. Image provided by Factorial Energy.

EnergyAugust 18, 2026

Solid-state batteries have reached a make-or-break moment

Two American companies are pursuing rival manufacturing strategies for these long-promised cells in an industry China dominates

Alex Pasternack

A cylindrical fusion prototype glows white and pink inside a dark test bay, surrounded by cables, hoses and metal supports.

Nuclear energyMay 19, 2026

Helion Energy wants to build fusion power on a start-up timeline

This company says its pulsed plasma machine will deliver electricity to the grid by 2029. Some physicists warn that its promises are outrunning what the technology has proved

Alex Pasternack