France, Greece, Italy and Poland will vote on Friday for tariffs of up to 45% on imports of electric vehicles (EVs) made in China, officials and sources said, enough to get the European Union proposal passed in a move likely to increase trade tensions with Beijing.

BMW AG is pressing Berlin to vote against imposing significantly higher European Union tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, joining other German carmakers that don’t want to risk a spat with their most important market.

The vote among the bloc’s member states was delayed in the wake of last-minute negotiations with Beijing to try to find a resolution that would avoid the new levies.

The European Commission is willing to continue negotiating with China a potential deal to avert tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles even after such tariffs are imposed, a senior EU official said on Monday.

France’s new foreign minister said his country supports a European Union plan to impose tariffs on electric vehicles produced in China given the subsidies Beijing has used to maintain dominance in the sector.

EU member states are expected to vote on whether to slap hefty tariffs on imported electric cars from China on Friday, European diplomats said on Monday.

Chinese car companies' offers to set minimum prices for their imports run up against toughening resolve led by France and others October 4 is a date that cannot come soon enough for European Union bureaucrats,

Germany remains skeptical about European Union tariffs on imported electric vehicles made in China and is still hoping for a negotiated solution ahead of Friday’s ballot among member states.