Predictive limitation of fuel cell power output to improve efficiency of mobile machines

Operating the machine (8) comprises: supplying power from a fuel cell (23) to a power bus (28), the power bus (28) being connected to an electric motor (30) and an energy storage device (26) in the machine (8) operating at a work site; and determining an expected efficiency gain condition based on at least one of topographic data of the work site or machine (8) activity data of the machine (8). Operating the machine (8) further includes predictively limiting the power output of the fuel cell (23) based on determining the expected efficiency gain condition, and charging the energy storage device (26) using at least one of the regenerative energy device (20) or the fuel cell (21) during the occurrence of the expected efficiency gain condition. The energy storage device (26) may discharge during predictively limiting the power output of the fuel cell (23) in order to share the load demand of the power bus between the fuel cell and the energy storage device (26). Related apparatus and control logic are also discl