TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The lithium metal oxide is of formula LiMO2. The lithium metal oxide is selected from lithium cobalt oxides, lithium manganese oxides, lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxides, lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxides, and/or lithium titanates. The overcharge protection additive is selected from Li-rich layered oxide, a lithium oxide spinel, and/or olivine phosphate. The overcharge protection additive comprises a material of formula xLi2M1O3.(1-x)LiM2O2; or a material of formula Li1+yMn2-yO4; or material of formula LiM3PO4.M=Sc, Ti, V, Co, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, and/or Al;M1=Mn, Ti, and/or Zr;M2=Mn, Ni, Co, and/or Cr;x=greater than 0 to smaller than 1;y=greater than 0 to at most equal to 1/3;M3=Mn, Co, Ni, Fe, Zn, Cu, Ti, Sn, Zr, V, and/or Al.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Material: The electrode active material comprises 1-30 wt.% (preferably 5-20 wt.%, especially 7.5-15 wt.%) of the overcharge protection additive. The positive electrode material comprises 7.5 to 15 wt.% of the overcharge protection additive. Preferred Components: The electrolyte is free of overcharge-preventing electrolyte additives or is free of polymeric film precursors or is free of redox shuttle additives. EXAMPLE - To measure beneficial effects imparted by overcharge protection additives, reference pouch cells having a capacity of 1.25 Ah were first built, as follows: a reference cathode active material composition was formed containing 95 wt.% lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxides (NMC), 3 wt.% conductive carbon and 2 wt.% of PVDF binder and cast as an NMP slurry on aluminum foil, followed by drying and calendaring. The foil coated with the dried mixture was then folded and pressed to obtain the desired electrode density and thickness. The resulting electrode was slitted and stacked with a cell separator and a lithium negative electrode, to obtain a pouch cell that was ultrasonically welded, filled with an electrolyte containing NMP and LiPF6 and vacuum-sealed. A first type of Li-rich layered oxide overcharge-protected pouch cells were then built with the same ingredients as the reference pouch cells, with the exception of the NMC which was substituted with a mixture including 90 wt.% NMC and 10 wt.% of the Li-rich layered oxide xLi2MnO3.(1-x)LiNi1/3Mn1/3CO1/3O2 (where x was 0-1) as overcharge protection additive. A second type of overcharge-protected pouch cell was also made where the NMC was substituted with a mixture including 90 wt.% NMC and 10 wt.% of a high-voltage spinel of formula LiMn15Ni0.5O4 as overcharge protection additive. Overcharge-protected cells of the first type were overcharged up to 5.4-5.5 Volts (as measured against) Li+/Li0 and their temperature and voltage in the course of charging were measured and plotted. The protected cells (High Voltage Cathode) showed a delay in the onset of overcharge-induced voltage increase as compared to the reference cells. This improvement was most prominent when the cells were charged beyond 150% SOC whereas the reference cells (Reference Cathode) exhibited a rapid surge in potential. The overcharge-protected cells showed a slower increase until a charge of about 175% SOC was reached. The overcharge-protected cells also exhibited a delay in the onset of overcharge-induced temperature increases. Overcharge-protected cells of the second type (High Voltage Cathode) were also compared to the reference cells. Here, too, a delay in the insurgence of overcharged-induced voltage and temperature increases was found.