Conventional studies in battery research focus on the optimisation of a preselected set of materials properties before finally testing the optimised materials in cells. Due to the multitude of materials and interfaces in battery cells, this Edisonian one-variable-at-atime method makes the discovery of new materials for high-performing batteries a time and resource intensive task, because the characteristics of the systems are not merely the aggregate of the components. For example, the performance and degradation resistance of a device (e.g. a battery) depend on the interplay of its constituent materials and resulting interfaces . Materials discovery therefore requires an optimisation across all time and length scales, as well as among all involved materials. Directly targeting the optimisation of the system has the potential to significantly shorten the time-to-market, while still gaining knowledge about the complex interplay between the materials and the interfaces.