A battery cell monitoring system includes: a battery cell including an electrode stack disposed within a case; a gas sensor disposed within, attached to or connected to the case and configured to detect levels of one or more gases within the case; and a gas monitoring circuit connected to the gas sensor. The gas monitoring circuit includes: a memory that stores data collected from the gas sensor; a transceiver configured to transfer the data to a network device separate from the battery cell; and a control module that monitors the levels of one or more gases and based on the levels of the one or more gases detects (i) an issue with the battery cell during operative use of the battery cell, (ii) an issue with the battery cell during formation of the battery cell, or (iii) completion of a formation operation of the battery cell.