We demonstrate the unsuitability of LiV3O8 as an electrode material for aqueous rechargeable lithium batteries on simple but solid grounds: the compound is unstable under typical battery operation conditions, where it slowly dissolves as reflected in the yellow color acquired by the electrolyte. This can be the origin of the poor performance of the aqueous batteries based on this compound. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.