diff --git a/hack/make-rules/test-e2e-node.sh b/hack/make-rules/test-e2e-node.sh
index 3b6a2a2e15b..b656e5e9aa2 100755
--- a/hack/make-rules/test-e2e-node.sh
+++ b/hack/make-rules/test-e2e-node.sh
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ image_service_endpoint=${IMAGE_SERVICE_ENDPOINT:-""}
 run_until_failure=${RUN_UNTIL_FAILURE:-"false"}
 test_args=${TEST_ARGS:-""}
 system_spec_name=${SYSTEM_SPEC_NAME:-}
+extra_envs=${EXTRA_ENVS:-}
 
 # Parse the flags to pass to ginkgo
 ginkgoflags=""
@@ -148,7 +149,7 @@ if [ ${remote} = true ] ; then
     --image-project="${image_project}" --instance-name-prefix="${instance_prefix}" \
     --delete-instances="${delete_instances}" --test_args="${test_args}" --instance-metadata="${metadata}" \
     --image-config-file="${image_config_file}" --system-spec-name="${system_spec_name}" \
-    --test-suite="${test_suite}" \
+    --extra-envs="${extra_envs}" --test-suite="${test_suite}" \
     2>&1 | tee -i "${artifacts}/build-log.txt"
   exit $?
 
@@ -169,8 +170,8 @@ else
   # Test using the host the script was run on
   # Provided for backwards compatibility
   go run test/e2e_node/runner/local/run_local.go \
-    --system-spec-name="${system_spec_name}" --ginkgo-flags="${ginkgoflags}" \
-    --test-flags="--container-runtime=${runtime} \
+    --system-spec-name="${system_spec_name}" --extra-envs="${extra_envs}" \
+    --ginkgo-flags="${ginkgoflags}" --test-flags="--container-runtime=${runtime} \
     --alsologtostderr --v 4 --report-dir=${artifacts} --node-name $(hostname) \
     ${test_args}" --build-dependencies=true 2>&1 | tee -i "${artifacts}/build-log.txt"
   exit $?
diff --git a/test/e2e/framework/test_context.go b/test/e2e/framework/test_context.go
index f2cbb30d16e..6da3cb08d6f 100644
--- a/test/e2e/framework/test_context.go
+++ b/test/e2e/framework/test_context.go
@@ -193,6 +193,8 @@ type NodeTestContextType struct {
 	// the node e2e test. If empty, the default one (system.DefaultSpec) is
 	// used. The system specs are in test/e2e_node/system/specs/.
 	SystemSpecName string
+	// ExtraEnvs is a map of environment names to values.
+	ExtraEnvs map[string]string
 }
 
 type CloudConfig struct {
@@ -332,6 +334,7 @@ func RegisterNodeFlags() {
 	flag.BoolVar(&TestContext.PrepullImages, "prepull-images", true, "If true, prepull images so image pull failures do not cause test failures.")
 	flag.StringVar(&TestContext.ImageDescription, "image-description", "", "The description of the image which the test will be running on.")
 	flag.StringVar(&TestContext.SystemSpecName, "system-spec-name", "", "The name of the system spec (e.g., gke) that's used in the node e2e test. The system specs are in test/e2e_node/system/specs/. This is used by the test framework to determine which tests to run for validating the system requirements.")
+	flag.Var(cliflag.NewMapStringString(&TestContext.ExtraEnvs), "extra-envs", "The extra environment variables needed for node e2e tests. Format: a list of key=value pairs, e.g., env1=val1,env2=val2")
 }
 
 // HandleFlags sets up all flags and parses the command line.
diff --git a/test/e2e_node/conformance/build/Dockerfile b/test/e2e_node/conformance/build/Dockerfile
index 5783726a08b..288649683f2 100644
--- a/test/e2e_node/conformance/build/Dockerfile
+++ b/test/e2e_node/conformance/build/Dockerfile
@@ -27,12 +27,14 @@ COPY_SYSTEM_SPEC_FILE
 # REPORT_PATH is the path in the container to save test result and logs.
 # FLAKE_ATTEMPTS is the time to retry when there is a test failure. By default 2.
 # TEST_ARGS is the test arguments passed into the test.
+# EXTRA_ENVS is the extra environment variables needed for node e2e tests.
 ENV FOCUS="\[Conformance\]" \
 	   SKIP="\[Flaky\]|\[Serial\]" \
 	   PARALLELISM=8 \
 	   REPORT_PATH="/var/result" \
 	   FLAKE_ATTEMPTS=2 \
-	   TEST_ARGS=""
+	   TEST_ARGS="" \
+	   EXTRA_ENVS=""
 
 ENTRYPOINT ginkgo --focus="$FOCUS" \
 	--skip="$SKIP" \
@@ -46,4 +48,5 @@ ENTRYPOINT ginkgo --focus="$FOCUS" \
 	--system-spec-name=SYSTEM_SPEC_NAME \
 	# This is a placeholder that will be substituted in the Makefile.
 	--system-spec-file=SYSTEM_SPEC_FILE_PATH \
+	--extra-envs=$EXTRA_ENVS \
 	$TEST_ARGS
diff --git a/test/e2e_node/e2e_node_suite_test.go b/test/e2e_node/e2e_node_suite_test.go
index 623b7b1839e..fb59b01f645 100644
--- a/test/e2e_node/e2e_node_suite_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e_node/e2e_node_suite_test.go
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ func TestMain(m *testing.M) {
 	rand.Seed(time.Now().UnixNano())
 	pflag.Parse()
 	framework.AfterReadingAllFlags(&framework.TestContext)
+	setExtraEnvs()
 	os.Exit(m.Run())
 }
 
@@ -146,6 +147,7 @@ var _ = SynchronizedBeforeSuite(func() []byte {
 	// This helps with debugging test flakes since it is hard to tell when a test failure is due to image pulling.
 	if framework.TestContext.PrepullImages {
 		klog.Infof("Pre-pulling images so that they are cached for the tests.")
+		updateImageWhiteList()
 		err := PrePullAllImages()
 		Expect(err).ShouldNot(HaveOccurred())
 	}
@@ -244,6 +246,9 @@ func waitForNodeReady() {
 // TODO(random-liu): Using dynamic kubelet configuration feature to
 // update test context with node configuration.
 func updateTestContext() error {
+	setExtraEnvs()
+	updateImageWhiteList()
+
 	client, err := getAPIServerClient()
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to get apiserver client: %v", err)
@@ -261,7 +266,7 @@ func updateTestContext() error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to get kubelet configuration: %v", err)
 	}
-	framework.TestContext.KubeletConfig = *kubeletCfg // Set kubelet config.
+	framework.TestContext.KubeletConfig = *kubeletCfg // Set kubelet config
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -319,3 +324,9 @@ func isNodeReady(node *v1.Node) bool {
 	}
 	return false
 }
+
+func setExtraEnvs() {
+	for name, value := range framework.TestContext.ExtraEnvs {
+		os.Setenv(name, value)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/test/e2e_node/image_list.go b/test/e2e_node/image_list.go
index a37c8bdf28d..ebed874bd88 100644
--- a/test/e2e_node/image_list.go
+++ b/test/e2e_node/image_list.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package e2e_node
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"os"
 	"os/exec"
 	"os/user"
 	"time"
@@ -46,7 +47,6 @@ var NodeImageWhiteList = sets.NewString(
 	"k8s.gcr.io/stress:v1",
 	busyboxImage,
 	"k8s.gcr.io/busybox@sha256:4bdd623e848417d96127e16037743f0cd8b528c026e9175e22a84f639eca58ff",
-	"k8s.gcr.io/node-problem-detector:v0.4.1",
 	imageutils.GetE2EImage(imageutils.Nginx),
 	imageutils.GetE2EImage(imageutils.ServeHostname),
 	imageutils.GetE2EImage(imageutils.Netexec),
@@ -58,9 +58,24 @@ var NodeImageWhiteList = sets.NewString(
 	"gcr.io/kubernetes-e2e-test-images/node-perf/tf-wide-deep-amd64:1.0",
 )
 
-func init() {
+// updateImageWhiteList updates the framework.ImageWhiteList with
+// 1. the hard coded lists
+// 2. the ones passed in from framework.TestContext.ExtraEnvs
+// So this function needs to be called after the extra envs are applied.
+func updateImageWhiteList() {
 	// Union NodeImageWhiteList and CommonImageWhiteList into the framework image white list.
 	framework.ImageWhiteList = NodeImageWhiteList.Union(commontest.CommonImageWhiteList)
+	// Images from extra envs
+	framework.ImageWhiteList.Insert(getNodeProblemDetectorImage())
+}
+
+func getNodeProblemDetectorImage() string {
+	const defaultImage string = "k8s.gcr.io/node-problem-detector:v0.6.2"
+	image := os.Getenv("NODE_PROBLEM_DETECTOR_IMAGE")
+	if image == "" {
+		image = defaultImage
+	}
+	return image
 }
 
 // puller represents a generic image puller
diff --git a/test/e2e_node/jenkins/conformance/conformance-jenkins.sh b/test/e2e_node/jenkins/conformance/conformance-jenkins.sh
index 9e8715287cf..7758d0b2df6 100755
--- a/test/e2e_node/jenkins/conformance/conformance-jenkins.sh
+++ b/test/e2e_node/jenkins/conformance/conformance-jenkins.sh
@@ -40,4 +40,5 @@ go run test/e2e_node/runner/remote/run_remote.go  --test-suite=conformance \
   --results-dir="$ARTIFACTS" --test-timeout="$TIMEOUT" \
   --test_args="--kubelet-flags=\"$KUBELET_ARGS\"" \
   --instance-metadata="$GCE_INSTANCE_METADATA" \
-  --system-spec-name="$SYSTEM_SPEC_NAME"
+  --system-spec-name="$SYSTEM_SPEC_NAME" \
+  --extra-envs="$EXTRA_ENVS"
diff --git a/test/e2e_node/jenkins/e2e-node-jenkins.sh b/test/e2e_node/jenkins/e2e-node-jenkins.sh
index a1caae4ad95..99a4ac14bc3 100755
--- a/test/e2e_node/jenkins/e2e-node-jenkins.sh
+++ b/test/e2e_node/jenkins/e2e-node-jenkins.sh
@@ -47,4 +47,5 @@ go run test/e2e_node/runner/remote/run_remote.go  --logtostderr --vmodule=*=4 \
   --image-config-file="$GCE_IMAGE_CONFIG_PATH" --cleanup="$CLEANUP" \
   --results-dir="$ARTIFACTS" --ginkgo-flags="--nodes=$PARALLELISM $GINKGO_FLAGS" \
   --test-timeout="$TIMEOUT" --test_args="$TEST_ARGS --kubelet-flags=\"$KUBELET_ARGS\"" \
-  --instance-metadata="$GCE_INSTANCE_METADATA" --system-spec-name="$SYSTEM_SPEC_NAME"
+  --instance-metadata="$GCE_INSTANCE_METADATA" --system-spec-name="$SYSTEM_SPEC_NAME" \
+  --extra-envs="$EXTRA_ENVS"
diff --git a/test/e2e_node/node_problem_detector_linux.go b/test/e2e_node/node_problem_detector_linux.go
index e3119fcd1b9..9c687f4d52c 100644
--- a/test/e2e_node/node_problem_detector_linux.go
+++ b/test/e2e_node/node_problem_detector_linux.go
@@ -45,13 +45,14 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("NodeProblemDetector [NodeFeature:NodeProblemDete
 		pollInterval   = 1 * time.Second
 		pollConsistent = 5 * time.Second
 		pollTimeout    = 1 * time.Minute
-		image          = "k8s.gcr.io/node-problem-detector:v0.4.1"
 	)
 	f := framework.NewDefaultFramework("node-problem-detector")
 	var c clientset.Interface
 	var uid string
 	var ns, name, configName, eventNamespace string
 	var bootTime, nodeTime time.Time
+	var image string
+
 	BeforeEach(func() {
 		c = f.ClientSet
 		ns = f.Namespace.Name
@@ -60,6 +61,8 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("NodeProblemDetector [NodeFeature:NodeProblemDete
 		configName = "node-problem-detector-config-" + uid
 		// There is no namespace for Node, event recorder will set default namespace for node events.
 		eventNamespace = metav1.NamespaceDefault
+		image = getNodeProblemDetectorImage()
+		By(fmt.Sprintf("Using node-problem-detector image: %s", image))
 	})
 
 	// Test system log monitor. We may add other tests if we have more problem daemons in the future.
@@ -245,7 +248,8 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("NodeProblemDetector [NodeFeature:NodeProblemDete
 				timestamp        time.Time
 				message          string
 				messageNum       int
-				events           int
+				tempEvents       int // Events for temp errors
+				totalEvents      int // Events for both temp errors and condition changes
 				conditionReason  string
 				conditionMessage string
 				conditionType    v1.ConditionStatus
@@ -279,7 +283,8 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("NodeProblemDetector [NodeFeature:NodeProblemDete
 					timestamp:        nodeTime,
 					message:          tempMessage,
 					messageNum:       3,
-					events:           3,
+					tempEvents:       3,
+					totalEvents:      3,
 					conditionReason:  defaultReason,
 					conditionMessage: defaultMessage,
 					conditionType:    v1.ConditionFalse,
@@ -289,7 +294,8 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("NodeProblemDetector [NodeFeature:NodeProblemDete
 					timestamp:        nodeTime,
 					message:          permMessage1,
 					messageNum:       1,
-					events:           3, // event number should not change
+					tempEvents:       3, // event number for temp errors should not change
+					totalEvents:      4, // add 1 event for condition change
 					conditionReason:  permReason1,
 					conditionMessage: permMessage1,
 					conditionType:    v1.ConditionTrue,
@@ -299,7 +305,8 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("NodeProblemDetector [NodeFeature:NodeProblemDete
 					timestamp:        nodeTime.Add(5 * time.Minute),
 					message:          tempMessage,
 					messageNum:       3,
-					events:           6,
+					tempEvents:       6, // add 3 events for temp errors
+					totalEvents:      7, // add 3 events for temp errors
 					conditionReason:  permReason1,
 					conditionMessage: permMessage1,
 					conditionType:    v1.ConditionTrue,
@@ -309,7 +316,8 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("NodeProblemDetector [NodeFeature:NodeProblemDete
 					timestamp:        nodeTime.Add(5 * time.Minute),
 					message:          permMessage1 + "different message",
 					messageNum:       1,
-					events:           6, // event number should not change
+					tempEvents:       6, // event number should not change
+					totalEvents:      7, // event number should not change
 					conditionReason:  permReason1,
 					conditionMessage: permMessage1,
 					conditionType:    v1.ConditionTrue,
@@ -319,7 +327,8 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("NodeProblemDetector [NodeFeature:NodeProblemDete
 					timestamp:        nodeTime.Add(5 * time.Minute),
 					message:          permMessage2,
 					messageNum:       1,
-					events:           6, // event number should not change
+					tempEvents:       6, // event number for temp errors should not change
+					totalEvents:      8, // add 1 event for condition change
 					conditionReason:  permReason2,
 					conditionMessage: permMessage2,
 					conditionType:    v1.ConditionTrue,
@@ -332,13 +341,17 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("NodeProblemDetector [NodeFeature:NodeProblemDete
 					Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				}
 
-				By(fmt.Sprintf("Wait for %d events generated", test.events))
+				By(fmt.Sprintf("Wait for %d temp events generated", test.tempEvents))
 				Eventually(func() error {
-					return verifyEvents(c.CoreV1().Events(eventNamespace), eventListOptions, test.events, tempReason, tempMessage)
+					return verifyEvents(c.CoreV1().Events(eventNamespace), eventListOptions, test.tempEvents, tempReason, tempMessage)
 				}, pollTimeout, pollInterval).Should(Succeed())
-				By(fmt.Sprintf("Make sure only %d events generated", test.events))
+				By(fmt.Sprintf("Wait for %d total events generated", test.totalEvents))
+				Eventually(func() error {
+					return verifyTotalEvents(c.CoreV1().Events(eventNamespace), eventListOptions, test.totalEvents)
+				}, pollTimeout, pollInterval).Should(Succeed())
+				By(fmt.Sprintf("Make sure only %d total events generated", test.totalEvents))
 				Consistently(func() error {
-					return verifyEvents(c.CoreV1().Events(eventNamespace), eventListOptions, test.events, tempReason, tempMessage)
+					return verifyTotalEvents(c.CoreV1().Events(eventNamespace), eventListOptions, test.totalEvents)
 				}, pollConsistent, pollInterval).Should(Succeed())
 
 				By(fmt.Sprintf("Make sure node condition %q is set", condition))
@@ -390,7 +403,7 @@ func injectLog(file string, timestamp time.Time, log string, num int) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// verifyEvents verifies there are num specific events generated
+// verifyEvents verifies there are num specific events generated with given reason and message.
 func verifyEvents(e coreclientset.EventInterface, options metav1.ListOptions, num int, reason, message string) error {
 	events, err := e.List(options)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -399,7 +412,7 @@ func verifyEvents(e coreclientset.EventInterface, options metav1.ListOptions, nu
 	count := 0
 	for _, event := range events.Items {
 		if event.Reason != reason || event.Message != message {
-			return fmt.Errorf("unexpected event: %v", event)
+			continue
 		}
 		count += int(event.Count)
 	}
@@ -409,14 +422,18 @@ func verifyEvents(e coreclientset.EventInterface, options metav1.ListOptions, nu
 	return nil
 }
 
-// verifyNoEvents verifies there is no event generated
-func verifyNoEvents(e coreclientset.EventInterface, options metav1.ListOptions) error {
+// verifyTotalEvents verifies there are num events in total.
+func verifyTotalEvents(e coreclientset.EventInterface, options metav1.ListOptions, num int) error {
 	events, err := e.List(options)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if len(events.Items) != 0 {
-		return fmt.Errorf("unexpected events: %v", events.Items)
+	count := 0
+	for _, event := range events.Items {
+		count += int(event.Count)
+	}
+	if count != num {
+		return fmt.Errorf("expect event number %d, got %d: %v", num, count, events.Items)
 	}
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/test/e2e_node/remote/cadvisor_e2e.go b/test/e2e_node/remote/cadvisor_e2e.go
index 6beb2c7c44e..c37093b4983 100644
--- a/test/e2e_node/remote/cadvisor_e2e.go
+++ b/test/e2e_node/remote/cadvisor_e2e.go
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ func runCommand(command string, args ...string) error {
 }
 
 // RunTest implements TestSuite.RunTest
-func (n *CAdvisorE2ERemote) RunTest(host, workspace, results, imageDesc, junitFilePrefix, testArgs, ginkgoArgs, systemSpecName string, timeout time.Duration) (string, error) {
+func (n *CAdvisorE2ERemote) RunTest(host, workspace, results, imageDesc, junitFilePrefix, testArgs, ginkgoArgs, systemSpecName, extraEnvs string, timeout time.Duration) (string, error) {
 	// Kill any running node processes
 	cleanupNodeProcesses(host)
 
diff --git a/test/e2e_node/remote/node_conformance.go b/test/e2e_node/remote/node_conformance.go
index 39ef80f5e4b..d8ecc2c46fb 100644
--- a/test/e2e_node/remote/node_conformance.go
+++ b/test/e2e_node/remote/node_conformance.go
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@ func stopKubelet(host, workspace string) error {
 }
 
 // RunTest runs test on the node.
-func (c *ConformanceRemote) RunTest(host, workspace, results, imageDesc, junitFilePrefix, testArgs, _, systemSpecName string, timeout time.Duration) (string, error) {
+func (c *ConformanceRemote) RunTest(host, workspace, results, imageDesc, junitFilePrefix, testArgs, _, systemSpecName, extraEnvs string, timeout time.Duration) (string, error) {
 	// Install the cni plugins and add a basic CNI configuration.
 	if err := setupCNI(host, workspace); err != nil {
 		return "", err
@@ -293,8 +293,8 @@ func (c *ConformanceRemote) RunTest(host, workspace, results, imageDesc, junitFi
 	// Run the tests
 	klog.V(2).Infof("Starting tests on %q", host)
 	podManifestPath := getPodPath(workspace)
-	cmd := fmt.Sprintf("'timeout -k 30s %fs docker run --rm --privileged=true --net=host -v /:/rootfs -v %s:%s -v %s:/var/result -e TEST_ARGS=--report-prefix=%s %s'",
-		timeout.Seconds(), podManifestPath, podManifestPath, results, junitFilePrefix, getConformanceTestImageName(systemSpecName))
+	cmd := fmt.Sprintf("'timeout -k 30s %fs docker run --rm --privileged=true --net=host -v /:/rootfs -v %s:%s -v %s:/var/result -e TEST_ARGS=--report-prefix=%s -e EXTRA_ENVS=%s %s'",
+		timeout.Seconds(), podManifestPath, podManifestPath, results, junitFilePrefix, extraEnvs, getConformanceTestImageName(systemSpecName))
 	testOutput, err := SSH(host, "sh", "-c", cmd)
 	if err != nil {
 		return testOutput, err
diff --git a/test/e2e_node/remote/node_e2e.go b/test/e2e_node/remote/node_e2e.go
index efd530b0318..63bc7dabbaa 100644
--- a/test/e2e_node/remote/node_e2e.go
+++ b/test/e2e_node/remote/node_e2e.go
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ func updateOSSpecificKubeletFlags(args, host, workspace string) (string, error)
 }
 
 // RunTest runs test on the node.
-func (n *NodeE2ERemote) RunTest(host, workspace, results, imageDesc, junitFilePrefix, testArgs, ginkgoArgs, systemSpecName string, timeout time.Duration) (string, error) {
+func (n *NodeE2ERemote) RunTest(host, workspace, results, imageDesc, junitFilePrefix, testArgs, ginkgoArgs, systemSpecName, extraEnvs string, timeout time.Duration) (string, error) {
 	// Install the cni plugins and add a basic CNI configuration.
 	// TODO(random-liu): Do this in cloud init after we remove containervm test.
 	if err := setupCNI(host, workspace); err != nil {
@@ -164,8 +164,8 @@ func (n *NodeE2ERemote) RunTest(host, workspace, results, imageDesc, junitFilePr
 	klog.V(2).Infof("Starting tests on %q", host)
 	cmd := getSSHCommand(" && ",
 		fmt.Sprintf("cd %s", workspace),
-		fmt.Sprintf("timeout -k 30s %fs ./ginkgo %s ./e2e_node.test -- --system-spec-name=%s --system-spec-file=%s --logtostderr --v 4 --node-name=%s --report-dir=%s --report-prefix=%s --image-description=\"%s\" %s",
-			timeout.Seconds(), ginkgoArgs, systemSpecName, systemSpecFile, host, results, junitFilePrefix, imageDesc, testArgs),
+		fmt.Sprintf("timeout -k 30s %fs ./ginkgo %s ./e2e_node.test -- --system-spec-name=%s --system-spec-file=%s --extra-envs=%s --logtostderr --v 4 --node-name=%s --report-dir=%s --report-prefix=%s --image-description=\"%s\" %s",
+			timeout.Seconds(), ginkgoArgs, systemSpecName, systemSpecFile, extraEnvs, host, results, junitFilePrefix, imageDesc, testArgs),
 	)
 	return SSH(host, "sh", "-c", cmd)
 }
diff --git a/test/e2e_node/remote/remote.go b/test/e2e_node/remote/remote.go
index 1a0ff30290c..fbe1a49a10e 100644
--- a/test/e2e_node/remote/remote.go
+++ b/test/e2e_node/remote/remote.go
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ func CreateTestArchive(suite TestSuite, systemSpecName string) (string, error) {
 
 // Returns the command output, whether the exit was ok, and any errors
 // TODO(random-liu): junitFilePrefix is not prefix actually, the file name is junit-junitFilePrefix.xml. Change the variable name.
-func RunRemote(suite TestSuite, archive string, host string, cleanup bool, imageDesc, junitFilePrefix string, testArgs string, ginkgoArgs string, systemSpecName string) (string, bool, error) {
+func RunRemote(suite TestSuite, archive string, host string, cleanup bool, imageDesc, junitFilePrefix string, testArgs string, ginkgoArgs string, systemSpecName string, extraEnvs string) (string, bool, error) {
 	// Create the temp staging directory
 	klog.V(2).Infof("Staging test binaries on %q", host)
 	workspace := newWorkspaceDir()
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ func RunRemote(suite TestSuite, archive string, host string, cleanup bool, image
 	}
 
 	klog.V(2).Infof("Running test on %q", host)
-	output, err := suite.RunTest(host, workspace, resultDir, imageDesc, junitFilePrefix, testArgs, ginkgoArgs, systemSpecName, *testTimeoutSeconds)
+	output, err := suite.RunTest(host, workspace, resultDir, imageDesc, junitFilePrefix, testArgs, ginkgoArgs, systemSpecName, extraEnvs, *testTimeoutSeconds)
 
 	aggErrs := []error{}
 	// Do not log the output here, let the caller deal with the test output.
diff --git a/test/e2e_node/remote/types.go b/test/e2e_node/remote/types.go
index f7e360f7440..33d36fca5e9 100644
--- a/test/e2e_node/remote/types.go
+++ b/test/e2e_node/remote/types.go
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ type TestSuite interface {
 	// * ginkgoArgs is the arguments passed to ginkgo.
 	// * systemSpecName is the name of the system spec used for validating the
 	//   image on which the test runs.
+	// * extraEnvs is the extra environment variables needed for node e2e tests.
 	// * timeout is the test timeout.
-	RunTest(host, workspace, results, imageDesc, junitFilePrefix, testArgs, ginkgoArgs, systemSpecName string, timeout time.Duration) (string, error)
+	RunTest(host, workspace, results, imageDesc, junitFilePrefix, testArgs, ginkgoArgs, systemSpecName, extraEnvs string, timeout time.Duration) (string, error)
 }
diff --git a/test/e2e_node/runner/local/run_local.go b/test/e2e_node/runner/local/run_local.go
index 8cdf5b37822..49e5397edfe 100644
--- a/test/e2e_node/runner/local/run_local.go
+++ b/test/e2e_node/runner/local/run_local.go
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ var buildDependencies = flag.Bool("build-dependencies", true, "If true, build al
 var ginkgoFlags = flag.String("ginkgo-flags", "", "Space-separated list of arguments to pass to Ginkgo test runner.")
 var testFlags = flag.String("test-flags", "", "Space-separated list of arguments to pass to node e2e test.")
 var systemSpecName = flag.String("system-spec-name", "", fmt.Sprintf("The name of the system spec used for validating the image in the node conformance test. The specs are at %s. If unspecified, the default built-in spec (system.DefaultSpec) will be used.", system.SystemSpecPath))
+var extraEnvs = flag.String("extra-envs", "", "The extra environment variables needed for node e2e tests. Format: a list of key=value pairs, e.g., env1=val1,env2=val2")
 
 func main() {
 	klog.InitFlags(nil)
@@ -63,7 +64,7 @@ func main() {
 			klog.Fatalf("Failed to get k8s root directory: %v", err)
 		}
 		systemSpecFile := filepath.Join(rootDir, system.SystemSpecPath, *systemSpecName+".yaml")
-		args = append(args, fmt.Sprintf("--system-spec-name=%s --system-spec-file=%s", *systemSpecName, systemSpecFile))
+		args = append(args, fmt.Sprintf("--system-spec-name=%s --system-spec-file=%s --extra-envs=%s", *systemSpecName, systemSpecFile, *extraEnvs))
 	}
 	if err := runCommand(ginkgo, args...); err != nil {
 		klog.Exitf("Test failed: %v", err)
diff --git a/test/e2e_node/runner/remote/run_remote.go b/test/e2e_node/runner/remote/run_remote.go
index bd216d51906..407a31eaec1 100644
--- a/test/e2e_node/runner/remote/run_remote.go
+++ b/test/e2e_node/runner/remote/run_remote.go
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ var instanceMetadata = flag.String("instance-metadata", "", "key/value metadata
 var gubernator = flag.Bool("gubernator", false, "If true, output Gubernator link to view logs")
 var ginkgoFlags = flag.String("ginkgo-flags", "", "Passed to ginkgo to specify additional flags such as --skip=.")
 var systemSpecName = flag.String("system-spec-name", "", fmt.Sprintf("The name of the system spec used for validating the image in the node conformance test. The specs are at %s. If unspecified, the default built-in spec (system.DefaultSpec) will be used.", system.SystemSpecPath))
+var extraEnvs = flag.String("extra-envs", "", "The extra environment variables needed for node e2e tests. Format: a list of key=value pairs, e.g., env1=val1,env2=val2")
 
 // envs is the type used to collect all node envs. The key is the env name,
 // and the value is the env value
@@ -442,7 +443,7 @@ func testHost(host string, deleteFiles bool, imageDesc, junitFilePrefix, ginkgoF
 		}
 	}
 
-	output, exitOk, err := remote.RunRemote(suite, path, host, deleteFiles, imageDesc, junitFilePrefix, *testArgs, ginkgoFlagsStr, *systemSpecName)
+	output, exitOk, err := remote.RunRemote(suite, path, host, deleteFiles, imageDesc, junitFilePrefix, *testArgs, ginkgoFlagsStr, *systemSpecName, *extraEnvs)
 	return &TestResult{
 		output: output,
 		err:    err,