This paper reports on a three-dimensional thermal modeling approach for a lithium-ion battery (LIB). The combined effects of the thermal and electrical contact resistances between the current collecting tab of an LIB cell and the lead wire connecting the cell to an external cycler are considered explicitly in addition to the heat generated as a result of electrochemical reactions and ohmic heating in the electrode region of the battery cell. The effect of electrical contact resistance is taken into account when calculating current collecting tab heating, and the effect of thermal contact resistance is included in the heat flux boundary condition at the contact area between the current collecting tab and the lead wire. The three-dimensional thermal modeling is validated by comparing the modeling results with experimental temperature distributions from IR images during discharge in an LIB cell. (C) 2013 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/2.039303jes] All rights reserved.