BMW has been showcasing the future through its #NEXTGen 2020 event and one of the concepts being shown off is an electric scooter. No, not one of those electric scooters littering the pavement in many cities, but a sit-on replacement for those two-stroke favourites that typify Mediterranean cosmopolitan city centres.

BMW Motorrad already has a range of petrol scooters and there's some design crossover to this concept - note the flying windshield you'll also find on the C 400 X - so it's not a huge leap to imagine this being close to reality, which we believe it is, with BMW saying that the concept "provides a concrete preview of what a contemporary production vehicle could look like."

Moving to electric, using flat battery packs, creates storage space under that flattened bench seat, which BMW says is designed to easily allow driver and pillion passenger to jump on an off, rather than for out-and-out comfort.

With short urban journeys in mind, it seems that style over substance is accepted, while BMW also says that the target user typically does 12km per day. Whether that's a hint at the range or not, we don't know, but we'd hope not - as in a city like London, it wouldn't get many commuters any where near where they needed to be.

There's a lot of talk about connectivity, with the CE 04 featuring a 10.25-inch display, which via smartphone connectivity will give you everything you need on your ride. BMW is also showcasing an interactive jacket for the CE 04, which incorporates its own lights to help you stay visible on the road.