This paper presents a multi-scale finite element approach for lithium batteries to study electrochemical–mechanical interaction phenomena at macro- and micro-scales. The battery model consists of a lithium foil anode, a separator, and a porous cathode that includes solid active materials and a liquid electrolyte. We develop a multi-scale approach to analyze the surface kinetics and electrochemical–mechanical phenomena within a single spherical particle of the active material. Homogenization techniques relate parameters in the micro-scale particle model to those in the macro-scale model describing the lithium ion transport, electric potentials and mechanical response based on porous electrode theory.