The amorphous hydrated precursor of Li1.2V3O8 was synthesized by soft chemistry method, and then heat-treated in air at several temperatures within the range 200–400°C. The heat-treatment changed its morphological, structural and charging/discharging performance. The product obtained upon the treatment at 300°C, consisting of uniform, rod-shaped particles, 100–150nm in diameter and 300–800nm in length, displayed the best electrochemical performance in aqueous LiNO3 solution. Its initial discharge capacity amounted to 136.8mAhg−1 at a rate of C/5, which upon 50 charging/discharging cycles decreased for only 12%.