The possibility of using mechanical-fatigue life-prognostic methods for the life prediction of Li-ion batteries is evaluated. To this end, a physics-based model of a battery experiencing a single source of aging, i.e., the growth of a solid electrolyte interphase at the carbonaceous anode material, is employed as a surrogate battery. Dummy aging data sets, consisting of current microcycles at a nearly constant state of charge, are readily generated and used to evaluate the prediction capability of damage-accumulation relationships, among which is the Palmgren-Miner (PM) rule, which is well known in the field of mechanical fatigue. The PM rule is slightly more accurate than the regular damage accumulation over time. A complete methodology for predicting the aging of a battery experiencing a complex current profile is proposed in a second paper. (C) 2010 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3374634] All rights reserved.