A soft switching interleaved power converter comprising: a) a converter input terminal, a converter output terminal and a converter common terminal, wherein power is received between the converter input terminal and the converter common terminal, and an output current is delivered to a load connected between the converter output terminal and the converter common terminal; b) a soft switching power converter cell having an active terminal, a passive terminal and an inductive terminal, with these three terminals each being connected to one of the three said converter terminals; the soft switching power converter cell having an inductor assembly and a least two switch assemblies (SA1, SA2); c) each switch assembly having an active switch terminal, a passive switch terminal and a common switch terminal (CSTN); d) the inductor assembly having a separate inductor assembly input terminal (IAITN) connected to one of each said common switch terminals (CSTN), and an inductor assembly common terminal (IACT) connected to said inductive terminal of the soft switching power converter cell, the inductor assembly having an input-input inductance value between a pair of inductor assembly input terminals that is less than the inductance between any inductor assembly input terminal and the inductor assembly common terminal; and e) each switch assembly having a switch (SW1, SW2) connected between the active switch terminal and the common switch terminal, and a diode connected between the passive switch terminal and the common switch terminal, the switches being operated in an interleaved manner so that the action of a first switch in a switch assembly being turned on during a switch conduction interval causes a diode (FD1,FD2) in another of said switch assemblies to be turned off subsequently to the first switch being turned on, the turning off of the diode occurring during a commutation interval of the inductor assembly, each diode having a peak forward operating current (IFD1,IFD2) and a peak reverse-recovery current (IRD1,IRD2) as it is being turned off. a) a converter input terminal, a converter output terminal and a converter common terminal, wherein power is received between the converter input terminal and the converter common terminal, and an output current is delivered to a load connected between the converter output terminal and the converter common terminal; b) a soft switching power converter cell having an active terminal, a passive terminal and an inductive terminal, with these three terminals each being connected to one of the three said converter terminals; the soft switching power converter cell having an inductor assembly and a least two switch assemblies (SA1, SA2); c) each switch assembly having an active switch terminal, a passive switch terminal and a common switch terminal (CSTN); d) the inductor assembly having a separate inductor assembly input terminal (IAITN) connected to one of each said common switch terminals (CSTN), and an inductor assembly common terminal (IACT) connected to said inductive terminal of the soft switching power converter cell, the inductor assembly having an input-input inductance value between a pair of inductor assembly input terminals that is less than the inductance between any inductor assembly input terminal and the inductor assembly common terminal; and e) each switch assembly having a switch (SW1, SW2) connected between the active switch terminal and the common switch terminal, and a diode connected between the passive switch terminal and the common switch terminal, the switches being operated in an interleaved manner so that the action of a first switch in a switch assembly being turned on during a switch conduction interval causes a diode (FD1,FD2) in another of said switch assemblies to be turned off subsequently to the first switch being turned on, the turning off of the diode occurring during a commutation interval of the inductor assembly, each diode having a peak forward operating current (IFD1,IFD2) and a peak reverse-recovery current (IRD1,IRD2) as it is being turned off.