Victorian electric car owners will need to photograph their odometer and regularly pay invoices to the transport department, and will have to retain accurate records for five years or face criminal action as part of a deliberately “low-tech” approach to a new distance-based road tax.

The details of Australia’s first distance-based road charge were revealed when Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas introduced a bill into the parliament on Thursday to charge zero- and low-emission vehicles (ZLEVs).