Exxelia's smart magnetics technology combines inductors and transformers into single ultra-compact components, achieving efficiencies above 99% for resonant bidirectional power converters.
The push toward electrification across industries has created a fundamental engineering challenge: how do you manage and store massive quantities of electrical energy without adding prohibitive weight or bulk to the system? Exxelia, a global manufacturer of complex passive components and subsystems, has been working on an answer. Their new smart magnetics technology, designed specifically for resonant bidirectional power converters, combines an inductor and a transformer into a single miniaturized, lightweight component. It is a deceptively simple idea with significant implications.
The shift toward electric and hybrid mobility is accelerating across sectors that most people never think about. EVTOLs, buses, heavy military vehicles, off-road equipment, space thrusters, and smart grid networks all demand architectures capable of handling serious power. Converters using DAB, LLC, and interleaved topologies have become the standard for reaching the efficiencies these applications require. What Exxelia has done is address the component-level bottleneck that has constrained those architectures for years.
By integrating the inductor and transformer into one unit, regardless of inductance value, engineers can design systems that are physically smaller and lighter without compromising on electrical performance. This matters enormously in aerospace and defense, where every gram counts. It matters in electric vehicles, where space is at a premium and thermal management is a constant battle. And it matters in energy storage systems, where converter efficiency directly translates to usable power.
The technical specifications tell the story clearly. Exxelia's three-phase integrated component handles 24 kVA at 360/27V while operating at 100kHz. It incorporates series inductors rated at 18µH, withstands net bias current at 10% of load current, and fits into a package of just 1085cc weighing 3.86kg. For higher-frequency applications, their Dual Active Bridge transformer operates at 300kHz with a 10:1 ratio at 2kW, incorporating 10µH series inductors in a housing measuring just 40x40x40mm and weighing only 250g. These are not incremental improvements. They represent a meaningful step forward in what power electronics can achieve in constrained environments.
The technology is designed to pair with next-generation semiconductors, specifically silicon carbide and gallium nitride, which operate at higher frequencies than traditional silicon. That compatibility is critical. As the semiconductor industry pushes toward wider bandgap materials, the passive components surrounding those chips need to keep pace. Exxelia's components operate across the 10-500kHz range, making them suitable for the current generation of wide-bandgap devices and those still in development.
Efficiency ratings above 99% at high frequencies are another standout feature. In power converter design, losses accumulate quickly, especially as switching frequencies increase. Minimizing those losses has a cascading benefit: less heat generation means simpler thermal management, which means smaller cooling systems, which means lighter overall assemblies. EMI reduction is built into the design as well, addressing the electromagnetic compatibility challenges that become more pronounced as converter densities increase.
Three persistent challenges have dogged converter developers: miniaturization without sacrificing performance, thermal management in ever-denser packages, and the constant pressure to reduce total cost of ownership. Exxelia's integrated approach addresses all three simultaneously. Combining what were previously separate components reduces assembly complexity, cuts down on interconnects, and simplifies the bill of materials. For manufacturers producing power conversion systems at scale, those savings add up quickly.
The project received government financing as part of a national recovery plan, underscoring the strategic importance of advanced power electronics to industrial competitiveness. For more information on Exxelia's smart magnetics innovations, visit Exxelia's website.
About Exxelia: Exxelia is a leading global designer and manufacturer of high performance passive components and subsystems with factories in France, Morocco, United States, India and Vietnam. Exxelia's product portfolio includes a wide range of capacitors (film, tantalum, ceramic and electrolytic capacitors) and ruggedized magnetic products (inductors, transformers, rotor, stator, etc.), resistors, slip rings, position sensors, medical sensors and high-precision mechanical parts. Recognized worldwide for its advanced design and technical expertise, Exxelia develops both catalog and custom products exclusively serving high-reliability markets such as aeronautic, space, defense, medical, transportation, telecommunication infrastructure and advanced industrial applications. Additional information can be found at www.exxelia.com.
Exxelia
93 rue Oberkampf,
75011 PARIS, FRANCE
Contact: PERES Stéphane, Phone: +33 (0)1 49 23 10 53, [email protected]