The growing competition in electric mobility is leading to an increased demand for inexpensive, high-performance lithium-ion batteries. To meet both objectives, the optimization of the entire production chain is indispensable. This publication addresses the contour cutting of the electrodes as one of the core processes and bottlenecks in large-format battery production. For this purpose, laser cutting with different beam sources is discussed as an adequate substitution for mechanical fine blanking. A comprehensive literature review on the boundary conditions and the relevant quality characteristics of the separation process is presented. Furthermore, experimental findings regarding the dependency between cutting edge quality and achievable process speed of pulsed lasers with pico- and nanosecond pulses and continuous wave lasers are compared. By keeping the measuring methods and materials constant, a direct comparison of the beam sources in terms of product quality and process speed is made. When cutting with a single-pass strategy, processing with picosecond pulses shows a superior cutting edge quality with almost no visible Heat Affected Zone, while the use of continuous wave lasers enables high cutting speeds of up to 10 m/s. By the design of customized cutting strategies based on multiple laser scan cycles with constant and variable parameter sets, the cutting edge quality can be further improved, especially for continuous wave lasers. Based on these findings, the potential for the implementation of laser cutting processes in battery production is discussed. Thus, this work contributes to supporting cell producers and equipment manufacturers in the decision-making process for suitable laser systems.