McClatchy Newspapers: The U.S. is struggling to catch up with China, Japan and Korea in a race to build the advanced batteries needed to power the electric cars of the future. The latest setback came last week, when General Motors picked a Korean company over an American rival to build lithium ion batteries for GM’s Chevy Volt, which is due on the market late next year. Lithium ion is the current hot technology to replace the familiar lead-acid batteries used in most cars today, and the newer …