Electric vehicles are increasingly a part of human everyday life. Accordingly, a key issue is how these vehicles should sound to make the traffic environment safer and more sustainable. The aim of this thesis is to map, understand and discuss the communicative properties of AVAS sound in an electric vehicle and to examine these sounds as a semiotic resource for meaning making. The research questions are: (i) What characterizes the AVAS sounds that are represented in traffic today; (ii) in what way can AVAS technology be developed to contribute to a safer and thus more sustainable traffic environment, and (iii) in what ways can a sound be designed to contribute to a safer and more secure traffic environment? Two studies were carried out: Study A conducted an analysis of already existing AVAS sounds found in traffic today and in Study B an AVAS prototype was created, built and installed. On the basis of the results, chord as a semiotic resource, the absence of low frequencies, pulsating effect and the vehicle as a semiotic resource are discussed. In conclusion, the issue of the vehicle as a participant in the public space is discussed.