Academic research in the battery field frequently remains limited to small coin or pouch cells, especially for new materials that are still rather far from commercialization, which renders a meaningful evaluation at an early stage of development challenging. Here, the realization of large lab-scale pouch cells comprising Sn$_{0.9}$Mn$_{0.1}$O$_{2}$ (SMO), prepared via an easily scalable hydrothermal synthesis method, as an alternative active material for the negative electrode and LiNi$_{0.6}$Mn$_{0.2}$Co$_{0.2}$O$_{2}$ (NMC$_{622}$) as a commercially available active material for the positive electrode is reported. Nine double-layer pouch cells are connected in series and parallel, suitable for powering a remote-controlled vehicle. Subsequently, these SMO‖NMC$_{622}$ cells are critically evaluated by means of an early-stage life cycle assessment and compared to graphite‖NMC$_{622}$ cells, in order to get first insights into the potential advantages and challenges of such lithium-ion chemistry.