We investigate the electrochemical side reactions that occur during the cyclic lithiation/delithiation of sputter-deposited Li x V2O5 films. For this purpose, the mass change of Li x V2O5 films during lithiation/delithiation is measured by quartz crystal microgravimetry, while the electrical charge that is flowing during this reaction is measured by cyclic voltammetry. A time-resolved evaluation of the measurement data, in combination with an advanced type of data processing, finally allows us to calculate time-resolved quantitative mass spectra. These spectra provide information about the chemical species that take part during the electrochemical reactions. Based on this technique, we study the electrochemical side reactions between the Li x V2O5 and the corresponding liquid electrolyte, i.e. we investigate the time-resolved formation of the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer during long term cycling. We are able to identify several chemical species that are formed during cycling and moreover, we identify three different stages of SEI formation.