Our real problem with the use of gasoline isn't really how much of it we use but rather how we use it so inefficiently, which of course leads to more usage and related pollution than necessary. IIRC, gasoline vehicles are only 20% or so efficient, while diesel vehicles are a bit better. And contrary to what you say, if we move more towards electric vehicles in a big way then I could foresee a day when we instead burn gasoline or some other fossil fuel equivalent in a more centralized and much more efficient manner, much like we do with natural gas today, and then use the electricity generated by that to power cars.

As to the PM 2.5 thing, like I said a lot of that gets oxidized to CO2 anyway, which adds up over time. Lately the EPA has been making a lot of noises about regulating this stuff, except that it turns out that much of it comes from places like our own kitchens. And nobody really wants the EPA involved with that part of it, hence the efforts to reign them in somewhat. But of course any talk of potentially restraining the EPA here is personified as "evil" in the press.