A high-energy efficient method is developed for the synthesis of LiFePO4@CNT core–shell nanowire structures. The method consists of two steps: liquid deposition approach to prepare FePO4@CNT core–shell nanowires and solvothermal lithiation to obtain the LiFePO4@CNT core–shell nanowires at a low temperature. The solution phase method can be easily scaled up for commercial application. The performance of the materials produced by this method is evaluated in Li ion batteries. The one-dimensional LiFePO4@CNT nanowires offer a stable and efficient backbone for electron transport. The LiFePO4@CNT core–shell nanowires exhibit a high capacity of 132.8 mAh g−1 at a rate of 0.2C, as well as high rate capability (64.4 mAh g−1 at 20C) for Li ion storage.