Instead of carbon, Mo2C is used to modify the MoO2 material for the first time. The presence of highly conductive and electrochemical inactive Mo2C decreases the resistance of the charge transport and enhances the structural stability of MoO2 nanoparticles upon lithiation and delithiation, ensuring the superior cycling stability and high rate capability of the heteronanotubes. Cycled at 200 and 1000 mA g-1 for 140 cycles, the discharge capacities of the MoO2/Mo2C heteronanotubes remain to be 790 and 510 mAh g-1, respectively. This work demonstrates the potential of the novel heteronanotubes for application as an electrode material for high-performance Li-ion batteries.