The need for higher energy density batteries has spawned recent renewed interest in alternatives to lithium ion batteries, including multivalent chemistries that theoretically can provide twice the volumetric capacity if two electrons can be transferred per intercalating ion. Initial investigations of these chemistries have been limited to date by the lack of understanding of the compatibility between intercalation electrode materials, electrolytes, and current collectors. This work describes the utilization of hybrid cells to evaluate multivalent cathodes, consisting of high surface area carbon anodes and multivalent nonaqueous electrolytes that are compatible with oxide intercalation electrodes. In particular, electrolyte and current collector compatibility was investigated, and it was found that the carbon and active material play an important role in determining the compatibility of PF6-based multivalent electrolytes with carbon-based current collectors. Through the exploration of electrolytes that are compatible with the cathode, new cell chemistries and configurations can be developed, including a magnesium-ion battery with two intercalation host electrodes, which may expand the known Mg-based systems beyond the present state of the art sulfide-based cathodes with organohalide-magnesium based electrolytes.