as this technology catches on, it’s going to play H*LL with the price of oil.
Fuel cells need a source of hydrogen. Free hydrogen his hard to handle but bound up as a hydrocarbon, it is easy to handle. In the Bloom cell, that hydrogen is bound up in methane. For ultracompact fuel cell, the most common approach is to use a direct methanol fuel cell where methanol carries the hydrogen. Other manufacturers are developing fuel cells than can burn propane or diesel.
The common source of all of these fuels is still fossil fuel. They are more efficient but not a replacement for traditional oil and gas.