Oil company records from 1960s reveal patents to reduce CO2 emissions in cars

ExxonMobil and others pursued research into technologies, yet blocked government efforts to fight climate change for more than 50 years, findings show

The forerunners of ExxonMobil patented technologies for electric cars and low emissions vehicles as early as 1963 - even as the oil industry lobby tried to squash government funding for such research, according to a trove of newly discovered records.

Patent records reveal oil companies actively pursued research into technologies to cut carbon dioxide emissions that cause climate change from the 1960s - including early versions of the batteries now deployed to power electric cars such as the Tesla.