A lithium-ion pouch battery cell includes a plurality of electrodes stacked together to form an electrode stack. Each of the electrodes includes a main electrode layer and an electrode tab protruding from the main electrode layer. The electrode stack has a tab surface area, and the main electrode layer has a main surface area. The lithium-ion pouch battery cell further includes a heat-rejecting lead tab coupled to the plurality of electrodes. The heat-rejecting lead tab covers the tab surface area of the electrode tab and the main surface area of the main electrode layer to facilitate heat transfer from the electrode stack to the heat-rejecting lead tab.