Tim Stevens

@timstevens
2K Followers
230 Following
969 Posts
Freelancing for lots of great places like Ars Technica, TechCrunch, MotorTrend, and The Verge.
Advising startups, spotting trends, and hunting for the next big thing. Fiction in Analog and elsewhere. I dig tech and autos. Former CNET and Engadget. Fortune once called me the Nicest Guy in Tech. He/Him
JoinedApr 25, 2022
Substackhttps://timstevens.substack.com/
Twitterhttps://twitter.com/tim_stevens
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Tim StevensMay 10

Toyota’s future city has some seriously dystopian early vibes, what with the cameras and the security guards and the empty streets, but there’s potential there for it to be something more significant down the road. Some more thoughts on that in my latest newsletter.

Also, your next car will almost certainly have AI in it. But will it have AI in the design, too? It’s more likely than you think.

https://open.substack.com/pub/timstevens/p/inside-toyotas-future-city-and-how?r=17r5&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Inside Toyota’s Future City, and How AI is Helping Design Your Next Car

Plus, a few thoughts on digital detoxing.

Around the Next Bend
Tim StevensMay 4

I'm fresh back from Japan, where I got a drizzly inside look at Toyota's Woven City. On first blush it has all the markings of a privacy nightmare (I counted eight cameras at one intersection!), but someday this future city could prove to be the ultimate maker space and startup goldmine.

Read all about it at @arstechnica

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/05/inside-toyotas-10b-private-utopia-big-ideas-few-people-cameras-everywhere/

Toyota built a $10 billion private utopia—what’s going on in there?

Woven City is a privacy nightmare but could be helpful to an OEM desperate to be more.

Ars Technica
Tim StevensApr 18
For the "Don't worry, AI isn't coming for your jobs" crowd, my local pizza joint, in a tiny town, now has an agent answering phones and taking orders. That's a great starter job for a high school kid gone.
Tim StevensMar 29

Listen, I understand the skepticism about in-wheel motors and unsprung mass and etc. etc. But after a day behind the wheel of this all-wheel drive pony car, I’m a believer that the potentials outweigh the drawbacks.

https://open.substack.com/pub/timstevens/p/a-pair-of-hub-motors-made-this-pony?r=17r5&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

A Pair of Hub Motors Made This Pony Car Dance on Ice

Plus, goodbye to Afeela and hello to a new hybrid Corvette.

Around the Next Bend
Tim StevensMar 24

Spending the day living the Corvette life at Spring Mountain outside of Las Vegas. It's been a few years since I've been here and I'm pretty sure it's 3x the size it used to be.

I'm also getting a preview of something new, but you'll have to wait another few days for the details on that...

Tim StevensMar 19
Just finally finished Star Wars Outlaws. 10/10. What a ride. Better than most of the films. I know it had its... issues at launch. But if you've been sleeping on this one like I was, it's well worth your time now.
Tim StevensMar 18
Doing a little tire testing this week. On the right, Nokian's Hakka 10 studded snow tire, the same I raced on this past season. The left is the new Hakka 01, the ones with the fancy temperature-sensitive stud tech. Very keen to see how they compare as the temps increase this week!
Tim StevensMar 10
Got to break out my most expensive suit today for a very special drive. It's the new Porsche 911 Cup, and as soon as my ears stop ringing I'll start writing up my impressions.
Tim StevensMar 7

We are lucky to have two "World's Largest" arcades in the United States. Which is truly the largest? The answer may surprise you... because it doesn't matter. They're both amazing.

Had an absolute blast investigating this piece for Ars.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/03/which-of-these-two-arcades-is-the-world-largest-and-does-it-matter/

Which of these two arcades is the "world largest"—and does it matter?

While semantics count for some, gamers win either way.

Ars Technica
Tim StevensFeb 19

I'm always happy to talk about my favorite form of amateur motorsport, and after you try it you'll feel the same way.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/02/zero-grip-maximum-fun-a-practical-guide-to-getting-into-amateur-ice-racing/

Zero grip, maximum fun: A practical guide to getting into amateur ice racing

Where we're racing, we don't need roads.

Ars Technica