This paper presents a method to evaluate the volume and weight of the internal combustion engine (ICE) and lithiumion battery for a series hybrid vehicle that allows to minimize the mean consumption over system life. Individual driving cycles of the car over a total distance of 100 000 km are simulated. The ICE and battery dimensions are approximated; the fuel consumption is evaluated using a general approach. Lithium-ion battery is described including capacity fading and the energy split between ICE and battery system is evaluated using an heuristic approach. Results show a decrease of mean fuel consumption down to 5.1 L/100km.